With President-elect Trump adding uncertainty around whether a TikTok ban will go into effect, the focus is now turning to companies like Google and Apple, who are expected to take the popular video sharing app off their platforms in just two days.
Though the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a federal law that could ban TikTok nationwide, it鈥檚 unclear how a shutdown of the popular social media platform will play out and what Americans will see when the clock strikes midnight on Sunday.
The court decision comes against a backdrop of unusual political agitation by President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed that he could negotiate a solution after he takes office, and the administration of President Joe Biden, which has signaled it won鈥檛 enforce the law beginning Sunday, his final full day in office. Now, tech observers 鈥� and some users 鈥� are intently watching to see what happens over the weekend and beyond.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really in uncharted territory here in terms of tech policy,鈥� said Sarak Kreps, the director of Cornell University鈥檚 Tech Policy Institute.
Under the law, mobile app stores 鈥� like the ones operated by Apple and Google 鈥� and internet hosting services will face major fines if they continue to distribute the platform to U.S. users beyond the deadline for divestment from ByteDance, TikTok鈥檚 China-based parent company. The companies could face fines of up to $5,000 for each user who continues to access TikTok, meaning penalties could total to a large sum.
A lawyer representing TikTok told Supreme Court justices last week that the platform will 鈥済o dark鈥� on Jan. 19 if the law isn鈥檛 struck down. But TikTok, which is not required to block its own platform under the statute, has not said whether it will limit access to the app, or its website, on Sunday. Experts have noted TikTok鈥檚 app should remain available for current users, but existing ones will no longer be able to update it, making it unusable in the long term.
Trump鈥檚 national security adviser has signaled this week that the incoming administration may take steps to 鈥渒eep TikTok from going dark,鈥� though what that looks like 鈥� and if any of those steps can withhold legal scrutiny 鈥� remains unclear.
鈥淢y decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but I must have time to review the situation,鈥� Trump said Friday in a post on Truth Social after the court鈥檚 ruling. Earlier in the day, he said in another post that TikTok was among the topics in .
In the meantime, some of the attention has turned to tech companies, such as Apple, Google and Oracle, who currently offer TikTok on their app stores or host company data on their servers.
Tech CEOs have been attempting to forge friendlier ties with Trump, who wants to put the TikTok ban on hold since he was elected in November. But Kreps said it would 鈥渄efy credulity鈥� for them to continue to offer TikTok, even if they want to please Trump since it would open them up to punitive fines.
Tech companies are also used to removing apps at the behest of governments. In 2023, Apple says it removed nearly 1,500 apps globally. Nearly 1,300 of the apps were made in China.
鈥淧enalties for companies like Apple and Google could run as high as $850 billion,鈥� Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on X on Thursday, while referring to the U.S. TikTok law. 鈥淣ot sure I鈥檇 take a politician鈥檚 word if I ran those companies. 鈥︹��
Meanwhile, David Choffnes, executive director of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute at Northeastern University in Boston, said he believes there鈥檚 a 鈥渟mall chance鈥� that nothing happens to TikTok, but acknowledged that would require 鈥渆normous risk on the on the part of the companies that support them.鈥�
Apple, Google and Oracle did not respond to questions sent this week about their plans on TikTok.
In a video after the court ruling, TikTok CEO Shou Chew, who is expected to attend Trump鈥檚 inauguration and be granted a prime seating location on the dais, thanked the president-elect for 鈥渉is commitment to work鈥� with TikTok to 鈥渇ind a solution鈥� that keeps the platform available.
鈥淲e are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform 鈥� one who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating more than 60 billion views of his content in the process,鈥� Chew said.
In a letter sent Friday to Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland, an attorney for TikTok creators who sued the government asked the administration to pause enforcement of the law 鈥渦ntil there is further definitive guidance.鈥�
鈥淚n addition, we request that you clarify that no app store, internet hosting service, or other provider faces any risk of enforcement or penalties with respect to TikTok, CapCut, or any other ByteDance apps, until such further guidance has been issued,鈥� said the letter by attorney Jeffrey Fisher.
Haleluya Hadero (), The Associated Press
