TikTok App News: Latest Updates on Trump's Ban and Its Impact

The Trump administration's ban on TikTok was announced in August 2020, with a deadline of September 15th, 2020 for the app to be sold or shut down.

The ban was a result of national security concerns, with the US government worried that TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could be sharing user data with the Chinese government.

TikTok's CEO, Kevin Mayer, resigned in August 2020, just one month after taking the job, amidst the ban controversy.

The ban was put on hold by a US court, giving TikTok more time to sell or restructure its US operations.

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The TikTok ban is a complex issue, but let's break it down. The ban took hold at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time Sunday, and visitors to the platform were greeted with a popup message saying TikTok isn't available right now.

Existing users can still access TikTok, but the app will degrade in quality over time due to a lack of updates. This means video-loading delays and performance glitches are expected. Without updates, the app will eventually become obsolete.

Fortunately, users are still able to access TikTok by using ban workarounds, as experts have pointed out. There's no penalty for using the app, and users are not considered criminals.

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The TikTok ban works by targeting third-party companies that are vital to the app's functioning. These companies include app stores and hosting companies that provide the digital infrastructure on which web services like TikTok depend.

On Sunday, app stores run by Apple, Google, and Samsung began barring new users from downloading the app and preventing existing users from updating it. This means that users can't download the app or update it to the latest version.

The law restricts app stores and hosting companies from providing services to TikTok. Without updates, the app is expected to degrade in quality over time, causing inconveniences like video-loading delays and performance glitches.

Hosting companies that provide services to TikTok include file hosting, domain name server hosting, cloud hosting, and virtual private server hosting. For you to pull up TikTok content on your phone, someone has to be hosting that.

The law makes it illegal for hosting companies to provide services for TikTok, but there's a catch: users can still access the app by using workarounds. If you're an ordinary user with TikTok on your phone, you're not a criminal, and there's no penalty at all.

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TikTok users can still access the app even if it's been banned.

Experts say users can use workarounds to access TikTok, and there's no penalty for doing so, as you're not a criminal if you're just an ordinary user with the app on your phone.

The app was unavailable to download on Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store until it was made available again on Thursday evening.

However, users who had previously downloaded TikTok could continue to use it despite the ban.

The ban was rooted in national security concerns and was the result of a law signed by President Joe Biden in April that mandated ByteDance sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner or be blocked in the US.

In theory, TikTok could establish partnerships with hosting companies outside the US to keep the app available to US users, but this would likely result in a slower and glitchier service.

This move would keep TikTok available, but the service would be slower and glitchier due to the digital infrastructure moving further away from users.

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President Trump has signed an order giving TikTok another extension to address the U.S. government's security concerns involving the video app's ties to China.

Analysts expect that the new app will attempt to address the government's security concerns.

The U.S. government has raised the specter of TikTok sharing user data with the Chinese government, which the company denies.

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Apple and Google removed TikTok from their U.S. app stores on Jan. 18, hours before a ban on the social media app was set to go into effect.

The ban was rooted in national security concerns, which led to a law signed by President Joe Biden in April that mandated ByteDance, TikTok's owner, to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner or be blocked in the United States.

Users who had previously downloaded TikTok could continue to use it, but it was no longer available for download on Apple's App Store or Google's Play store.

The Supreme Court upheld the law on Jan. 17, paving the way for the ban to shut down the app in the country.

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President Trump gave a 90-day extension until Sept. 17 to ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations.

The original deadline was Jan. 19, but Trump extended it several times. TikTok has said the law "offers no support for the idea" that its Chinese ownership poses national security risks.

There will be a transition period from the old app to the new app, and the question is how data will be migrated.

TikTok is back on the Apple and Google app stores after a nearly month-long standoff between the tech giants and the video platform.

The tech firms yanked TikTok from app stores on Jan. 19, the date a law passed by Congress took effect.

Apple and Google restored TikTok after receiving a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi informing them that the Trump administration would not prosecute them for supporting the app.

A letter from the Trump administration promising not to prosecute still means Apple and Google could be in violation of U.S. law.

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Oracle, along with web infrastructure providers Amazon Web Services and Akamai, promptly returned service to TikTok after Trump posted a message on his social media network promising an executive order to shield them from liability.

The deal for TikTok has gotten another extension from Trump, giving the app more time to address U.S. government security concerns.

Analysts expect the new app to attempt to address the government's security concerns, which involve sharing user data with the Chinese government.

TikTok will remain popular in the U.S. even after a sale, with over 170 million Americans using the app to entertain and educate themselves.

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Amazon has placed a bid on TikTok as the April 5 deadline looms for a potential sale of the social media company. If a deal doesn't emerge, the popular app could face a nationwide ban.

Amazon is one of the potential buyers of ByteDance's TikTok U.S. operations, along with Oracle Corp. and an investment group led by Frank McCourt.

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The Chinese government's approval would be needed for any deal, making it a significant hurdle for potential buyers. Analysts said it's unlikely a sale of TikTok's U.S. operations would include its algorithm, which surfaces videos of interest to its users.

Trump has expressed support for a TikTok deal, saying "it's good for China, and it's good for us" and that it's "a lot of money". He's had a change of heart since his administration initially pushed for a TikTok ban.