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Possible consequences of the TikTok ban

FILE - A man carries a Free TikTok sign in front of the courthouse where the hush-money trial of Donald Trump was underway on April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File) (Ted Shaffrey, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The social media app TikTok is officially banned in the U.S., with services going dark on Saturday night. The ban could set a new precedent in the social media landscape. Cayce Myers, a professor of public relations and director of graduate studies at the School of Communication at Virginia Tech, issued a statement prior to the ban.

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s TikTok decision is a watershed moment for social media and its operations in the United States. The per curium court decision emphasized the uniqueness of the technology, its pervasiveness of its impact, and the national security implications of its operations. It represents a major change in digital sovereignty, and shows the delicate balance between national security concerns, free speech, and the global digital economy.”

Cayce Myers, professor of public relations and director of graduate studies at Virginia Tech

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“The court held that the law was not one that required the highest level of speech scrutiny, known as strict scrutiny, and that the divestiture law does not violate the First Amendment. The court’s decision presents new questions about implementation because the original law gave ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, until Jan. 19 to sell. Given that short timeframe, it is unclear what the next steps will be for the company, although some sources have speculated it is going to shut down on Sunday. The law doesn’t directly ban the platform if ByteDance does not sell — instead app stores cannot distribute it. Those violating the law face penalties up to $5,000 per user who can access the app. Currently TikTok has approximately 170 million users in the U.S.”

Cayce Myers, professor of public relations and director of graduate studies at Virginia Tech

President-elect Trump has said he may put a hold on the ban for 90 days once he takes office, as he stated “We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” in a Meet the Press interview. If you attempt to use TikTok in the U.S., a message appears stating the following:

“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”