TikTok Banned on Jan 19th. Update: TikTok is back online!!!

[LevelUP]

Joe Biden trying to Ban TikTok verses Donald Trump
https://www.tiktok.com/@patrickwcutler/v...1258195243

[LevelUP]

Some news today.

‘We’ll take a look’: Trump responds to looming TikTok ban
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ll-look-trump...35720.html

Trump meets with TikTok CEO at Mar-a-Lago as company asks Supreme Court to intervene in fight over federal ban
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-meets-t...13936.html

[LevelUP]

Breaking News.

Supreme Court will hear arguments over the law that could ban TikTok in the US if it’s not sold
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court...8a452dd5cc

[LevelUP]

China 'in secret talks to sell Tik-Tok to Elon Musk'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...cials.html

Word is, the price would be $40-$50 billion, which is a small price to pay for 170 million U.S. users and control over 500 million minds worldwide.

TikTok refugees have some alternatives. 
https://play.google.com/store/apps/detai...t&hl=en_US (Lemon8 powered by TikTok)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/detai...s&hl=en_US (RedNote)

#1 in app downloads is a Chinese app called RedNote which is probably 1000X more unsafe than TikTok.

Lawmakers urge Biden to extend Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok ban: 'Not the answer'
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli...689074007/

[NotJoeBiden]

Not so secret if everyone in the media knows about it…

[LevelUP]

We are coming down to the final hour.

Latest headlines:

US Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban, leaving app's fate to Trump
https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme...025-01-17/

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) Comments on TikTok and the Supreme Court Decision
https://www.tiktok.com/@cspanofficial/vi...6914509099

Biden administration will leave it to Trump to implement TikTok ban
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-ad...=117753133

TikTok CEO posts message to Trump
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/17/politics/...age-digvid

Kevin O'Leary puts $20B TikTok cash offer on the table: 'Most interesting, complicated, crazy situation'
https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/kevin-...-situation

Take Facebook, Take Instagram, Take snapchat, As long as TikTok don't go
https://www.tiktok.com/@lilliankrichards...2292023594

Gentleman, it's been a privilege scrolling with you
https://www.tiktok.com/@paramountpics/vi...9633482030

[NotJoeBiden]

So is TikTok a national security risk or not?

Trump’s GOP says it is but now Trump is backpedaling and might issue and executive order to allow it?!

It can’t be both.

[LevelUP]

Sen. Rand Paul has argued that TikTok has never been proven to pose a national security risk. Moreover, the majority of TikTok is owned by investors outside China, undermining the claim that it’s a "Chinese company." Years ago, Trump supported banning TikTok but appeared to backtrack after realizing how unpopular the idea was.

Would an executive order be legal? The fine is $5,000 per use, which, with 170 million users, could amount to approximately $850 billion per day. Can companies like Oracle afford to take that risk?

The problem with the TikTok ban bill is its lack of coherence.

Imagine Congress passed a bill declaring bears a physical threat to humans, but only allowed the federal government to kill bears within a 100-mile radius of Minneapolis, Minnesota—simply because some prominent politicians had bear-related incidents while camping there. Wouldn't that seem arbitrary?

Similarly, banning TikTok while leaving other popular Chinese-owned apps like RedNote and Temo untouched makes little sense. Instead of addressing privacy and security concerns across all apps, the bill singled out one company—a move supported by figures like Sen. Tom Cotton, which reflects "swamp" politics at its worst.

Then there’s the issue of free speech. How far can the government go in banning websites or apps? Will Americans need a VPN to use TikTok? And if they do, would the government punish them for it?

Nearly three-fourths of 13-39-year-olds oppose a TikTok ban, according to a recent poll.
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/16/ypulse-...ung-people

For some reason, Congress seems to think they can push through legislation, no matter how unpopular it is.

[bluebooger]

they only want to ban it because they can't control it

if they could pressure it to "fact check" the way they want and ban users and posts the US government deems dangerous then they would have no problem with it

[ss20ts]

they only want to ban it because they can't control it

if they could pressure it to "fact check" the way they want and ban users and posts the US government deems dangerous then they would have no problem with it

The government ban sets a precedent that they can just shutdown any platform that they don't like or understand. They don't even need a reason. It's kind of frightening that they did this. I'm not a TikTok user but I don't support banning it. If people don't want to use it they don't have to. None of us truly knows how our data is being used.