The Two Ways Your Most Loved/Hated App Could Be Saved

While the TikTok app, originally known as Musical.ly, will still be available in other countries outside the United States, the popular app's country-wide ban is scheduled to begin on January 19, 2025. However, all hope is not lost for you crime junkies, foodies, and dance-off queens. There are currently two ways for the app to remain "allowed" in the U.S.

First, the Supreme Court could side with the app, relying on a majority vote from the nine-person Court, allowing it to stay open for distribution.

Second, an American-owned company could swoop in and purchase the app. The law's request for an American owner, not the current Chinese company ByteDance, has been noted by Project Liberty, a non-profit organization dedicated to internet connectivity and rights. Although P.L. confirmed they received $20 billion in verbal commitments from investors, the organization's President Tomicah Tillmann would not disclose the bid offered to ByteDance.

Their purchase, if confirmed, would allow them to own only the U.S. portion of TikTok, and would also deny them the rights of ownership over the TikTok algorithm, which China views as intellectual property (intel). If the Beijing-based company decides not to sell, the app will be banned from web hosting companies and stores in the U.S.

You're not alone, though, in the opposition. President Donald Trump is actively against the ban as well, calling for the Supreme Court to pause the law until he takes office, claiming he will find a solution within a day of taking office.