What's happening with the TikTok ban?

As quickly as it disappeared, TikTok appears to have returned. The app's services are back and President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to delay the ban on his first day in office.

Last week was one of back-and-forths, as the Supreme Court voted to uphold the nationwide ban on January 17.

The ban came into effect on Sunday 19 January, but services had already begun shutting down on the evening of Saturday 18 January. However, after only 12 hours, the shutdown was reversed and the app was usable again.

Many people turned to tech like the best VPNs as a potential tool to bypass the ban and continue to access TikTok in the US – but this was met with mixed results.

The future of the TikTok ban is still uncertain, as the executive order only delays the ban. But there now appears to be time and willingness to strike a deal and maintain TikTok's services in the US.

What has happened over the last few days?

It's been a whirlwind few days for TikTok and its users. The popular short-form video sharing app, owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, has been scrutinised by US lawmakers over its apparent links to the Chinese Communist Party.

National security concerns are the main driving force behind this, with the company having access to the data of 170 million American users.

These concerns culminated in the Supreme Court upholding the ban on Friday 17 January, with the order becoming law on Sunday 19 January.

The law stated the app would be banned because it had not been sold to an American company before the deadline. This was very unlikely to happen, as any deal would have to have been approved by both the US and Chinese governments.

TikTok begun shutting the app's services down in the US on the evening of Saturday 18 January – hours before the law was due to come into effect.

Users were hit with pop-up messages explaining the app was no longer available in the US, with many mourning this loss, and some even deleting the app.

The message instructed people to "stay tuned" as a solution was expected to be worked on with President Trump when he took office on Monday 20 January.

But these series of events didn't take long to reach a short-term conclusion as, a mere 12 hours later, TikTok was available again in the US and the app was functioning.

Services were restored as Donald Trump signalled he would sign an executive order to delay the ban.

On 20 January, the day of his inauguration, President Trump signed an executive order instructing the law not to be enforced for a period of 75 days. This now pauses the app's banning and gives time for a more permanent solution to be found.

The executive order also notified other tech companies, including Apple and Google, that they would not be liable for any actions taken while the law was being enforced.

The law in action

The law meant the removal of TikTok from various app stores. Google and Apple had been warned by Congress they'd need to be ready to remove TikTok from the Google Play and the Apple App Store, and it appears as though they've complied.

American companies could have been fined for ignoring the law and providing access to TikTok's services.

The Verge reported that service providers risked fines of $5,000 for every person who accessed TikTok through them. That could mean billions of dollars in total and the fines can be pursued up to five years later.

As a result, Apple and Google removed TikTok from their respective app stores, with Apple releasing a document detailing the measure.

Despite Trump's executive order, the apps are not back on stores and available to download. It is unclear whether the companies could still be fined during this 75 day period, so at this stage it is understandable that Apple and Google are proceeding with caution.

It was originally thought that those who already have the app downloaded would see no real impact in the short term, with a lack of security updates and bug fixes the main concern,

But when TikTok shut down its services in the US on Saturday night, people accessing the app were met with a pop-up message saying "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now."

A total app shutdown had been rumoured in the few days beforehand and users were advised to download their data and personal information – something that is vital for maintaining data privacy.

It isn't clear what was done on the technical side of things to remove TikTok's function nationwide. When India banned TikTok in 2020, it disabled downloads and demanded that internet service providers (ISPs) block it all together.

However, NetBlocks, an internet watchdog, reported that widespread network level restrictions, imposed by internet providers, didn't seem to be in use.

TikTok's own support page says it determines your approximate location through your SIM card and IP address. So, even if your IP address is masked by a VPN, you may still not be able to access the app due to having a US-registered phone number.

Using a VPN to access TikTok

Prior to the ban, it was assumed that you'd be able to access TikTok by using one of the best TikTok VPNs.

However, this appeared to have been more complex than first thought, as many users reported not being able to access TikTok, even when connected to a VPN.

Despite being connected to a server in a different country, one where TikTok was available, the app remained blocked. This therefore leaves us assuming that the ban could have revolved around US-based SIM cards or TikTok accounts being restricted by geo-location – in short, if your account was created in the US then your app would be disabled.

Some users reported being able to access the TikTok website but not being able to sign-in to their accounts.

Although services have returned to normal, we'd still recommend connecting to a VPN whilst using TikTok to protect yourself from third-party trackers and encrypt your data.

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How has this case come about?

The fractured relationship between TikTok and the US government goes back years, and correlates with rising geopolitical tensions between America and China.

In April 2024, President Biden signed into law a bill which gave ByteDance nine months to find a US-approved buyer or face a ban in the country.

In a statement on 6 December 2024, the US Justice Department's Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said the law was "an important step in blocking the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to collect sensitive information about millions of Americans, to covertly manipulate the content delivered to American audiences, and to undermine our national security,”

ByteDance has denied being linked to the Chinese government, said no data would be handed over, and refused a sale. They have filed a number of legal challenges against the proposals, arguing a ban would be unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court heard arguments from the US government and ByteDance in a hearing on 10 January 2025. It appeared as though ByteDance were unwilling to sell and the company's lawyers were scrutinised much more than the US government's Solicitor General, Elizabeth Prelogar.

A petition to pause the ban until President Trump took office the following week was rejected, and on January 17, the Supreme Court ruled that the ban will come into effect on January 19.

Can a solution be found?

A ban could have been avoided if ByteDance sold TikTok to an American company. This would have had to have been approved by the US and Chinese governments, and would not be straightforward.

Other ways TikTok could survive included licensing the brand to a US company or splitting the brand, creating TikTok US as an independent company.

President Donald Trump opposes the ban and, in December 2024, asked the US Supreme Court to pause implementation of the law. Trump has changed his stance on the issue, having tried to ban TikTok in 2020 when he was last in office.

Trump has now signed an executive order delaying the ban and instructing the Attorney General not to take any action in enforcing it. He said the pause would allow "an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans."

The Guardian reported that when asked about the aims of the order, Trump said it "just gave me the right to sell it or close it," adding that he had not yet made a decision on the right path forwards.

Prior to this, Trump said on Truth Social that he would "extend the period of time before the [TikTok ban's] prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security."

He added that he would want the US to own 50% of TikTok, in what he described as a "joint venture." As services were brought back online, TikTok thanked Trump and said it would "work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States."

Your data is still at risk

Regardless of who owns TikTok, your personal data is at risk. In 2022, Australian cyber company Internet 2.0 published a report into TikTok's data collection and found it harvested excessive amounts of data.

The data included user location, access to calendars and contacts, device information, and device mapping – including all other running applications on your device.

This is unlikely to change if ByteDance sold the app to a US-based company. Apple has recently paid $95 million dollars to settle a lawsuit involving Siri and claims it has violated user privacy.

Google's Nest and Amazon's Echo smart speakers have also been found to collect excessive amounts of personal data. There is also a dark side to music personalization, with Spotify Wrapped only working because of personal data collection. Although Spotify is a Swedish company, it is huge in the US and shows excessive data collection is not just a product of Chinese companies.

How to limit data collection

All social media apps and smart devices require a certain amount of personal data to operate. Your name, email address, and phone number are common requirements needed to sign up for the likes of Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. But the issues are with "excessive" data collection.

Make sure you have read the app's privacy policies to understand what you're consenting to. Check the app's permissions and data collections and only accept what is absolutely necessary.