President Joe Biden has just signed the so-called TikTok ban into law, meaning that the popular social media app’s parent company must now sell the app or face a ban across the US,

The controversial ban of the app was passed by Congress this week, sending the measure to Mr Biden’s desk, who signed the legislation into law on Wednesday.

Despite fears that the Chinese-owned app will suddenly vanish from users’ phones, that is far from the reality of what will likely happen.

When does the ban go into effect?

At the earliest, it would probably take a year before TikTok would be banned.

Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has nine months to sell the social media app, tacking on an additional three more if a sale is under way.

But if this doesn’t happen, TikTok will be banned from US app stores.

In reality, the app would be no longer accessible in the app stores in the US, meaning it would become more difficult to download the app or receive updates.

TikTok users could probably circumvent the app’s removal from US app stores and access the app through other means, like by using a virtual private network (VPN) or using a foreign SIM card.

“The TikTok bill relies heavily on the control that Apple and Google maintain over their smartphone platforms because the bill’s primary mechanism is to direct Apple and Google to stop allowing the TikTok app on their respective app stores,” Dean Ball, a research fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told The Associated Press.

  • plinky [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    6 months ago

    nice contrast with expanding surveillance like two days before. being another country without your own social media is basically saying “i like that usa spies on me, they should do more of it”

  • Adkml [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    6 months ago

    Tik Tok should just refuse to sell and make their landing page a full screen banner saying “this is the top priority of American politicians right now, when was the last time you had to choose between paying rent and buying groceries, election day is November 5th.”

  • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    6 months ago

    They’re out of their minds.

    The political cost of banning tiktok is so fucking high. The US relies on its “FREEEEEE SPEEEEECH” propaganda so much but every single member of genz is going to consider that complete and total bullshit if they lose access to the app in a move that has obviously been motivated by Palestine.

    We will be laughing about this blunder in years to come as a very significant mistake. The political cost of undermining one of the most important cornerstones of american propaganda is much higher than allowing tiktok to exist. They’re treating this the same as the UK banning CGTN or RT but those were easy to do because only a few thousand people watched them to begin with, they had no political cost. The cost of this is one of the flagstones of the american lie with an entire generation.

    • Joncash2@lemmy.ml
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      6 months ago

      What’s more interesting to me is USA keeps whining about how China’s changing the world order. Yet, their actions show that they approve of it and are running full steam in trying to implement China’s new world order. Let’s list what USA complains about:

      1. China’s trade practices are unfair and they subsidize their companies - USA is now desperately trying to out subsidize China on chips.
      2. China censors foreign media and has no freedom of speech - USA is banning Tik Tok because it promotes China’s speech
      3. China is committing genocide - USA helps Israel commit genocide

      I could go on. But what it all means to me is USA has totally given up on it’s beliefs on human rights, freedom of speech and free trade. Instead it’s trying to poorly imitate China. This is the conflict China wanted and USA is giving it to them on a golden platter.

      • SkingradGuard [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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        6 months ago

        But what it all means to me is USA has totally given up on it’s beliefs on human rights, freedom of speech and free trade.

        It never believed in those to begin with, it’s always been a cynical political propaganda tool and nothing more.

        Instead it’s trying to poorly imitate China. This is the conflict China wanted and USA is giving it to them on a golden platter.

        China wants conflict? You could say that this whole cold war started when Obama banned China from the ISS, citing concerns of them “sTeaLing TeChnOloGy”, yet they had no concerns over Russia doing the same?

        • Joncash2@lemmy.ml
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          6 months ago

          I think you’re misunderstanding me. Conflict is not war, two companies selling a similar product are in conflict. I don’t think Google is sending a hit squad to Microsoft because of their competition.

          China clearly wants to compete with USA on multiple levels, they’ve been doing this since the country was reformed under communism. It’s not like they even pretended anything otherwise. From Mao to Deng to Xi China has always said it will develop in it’s own way and will confront any one who tries to disturb the peace of the country. Sure enough, from the moment China was reformed, USA has constantly disturbed the peace of the country. Thus, China has always known they were in conflict with the US. It’s only now they’re strong enough to make it clear they want to be left alone and will use their military if it comes to it.

          So yes, even though it’s defensive (and I’m not saying countries shouldn’t be defensive) China has wanted this conflict. They have every right to this conflict as it’s literally the sovereignty of their nation, but it’s still wanting conflict. One that they have a clear path to victory.

          • SkingradGuard [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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            6 months ago

            I don’t think Google is sending a hit squad to Microsoft because of their competition.

            The corpo wars aren’t coming? sicko-no

            So yes, even though it’s defensive (and I’m not saying countries shouldn’t be defensive) China has wanted this conflict. They have every right to this conflict as it’s literally the sovereignty of their nation, but it’s still wanting conflict.

            I guess I sorta see where you’re coming from, but I would say it’s more that they’ve been backed into a corner, no?

            • Joncash2@lemmy.ml
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              6 months ago

              I wouldn’t say China is backed in to a corner. Like I said they’ve been planning this for a while. If anything, this shows China’s plan is working. Ironically, China’s plan is pretty much freedom for all sovereign nations. But as we see with what’s going on, the world is choosing the freedom China is offering.

  • joaomarrom [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    6 months ago

    so unless tiktok is sold to a US-based company, it will be a bit inconvenient for US users to download the app and keep it updated

    is that all? can’t these geriatric corporate-owned fucking ghouls understand how toothless this supposed ban is? lmao this is pathetic

    • RedWizard [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      6 months ago

      Just wait for all the bait apps and fake blogs with tiktok APK download links. Who knows, maybe it’ll filter out all the tech illiterate reactionaries. en On android it’ll be easier to keep your access. On iOS it’ll be almost impossible since sideloading apps is pretty hard if I recall. Tiktok should just put the most recent android apk right on their website.

    • CarmineCatboy2 [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      6 months ago

      This bill’s original sponsors are Facebook. And however slight the inconvenience is, users can be very fickle. Even if most users stay with the platform via VPNs it can still hurt the bottom line. This means a victory for Facebook no matter what.

      As for Israel, Tiktok is hardly the only place the israelis behave like demons.

      • LaughingLion [any, any]@hexbear.net
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        6 months ago

        the real thing is tiktok did not suppress pro palestinian messaging. we learned that from the congressional probe. they actually promoted israeli messaging to be more “fair” to them because the israeli messaging was so unpopular.

        so the israeli side wants people sypathetic to them to be in control so they can better suppress these things and control the narrative. the people behind the “ban” which is really a sale and the people who control the companies that could buy it would accomodate the israelis and aipac

        • CarmineCatboy2 [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          6 months ago

          Yes, the Israel issue made it personal for US congresspeople. But the original sponsors of the ban were Facebook. Israel probably won’t get to have Hasbara people to command TikTok worldwide, but Facebook’s aims can still be fulfilled. However toothless the ban is, users are very fickle. They’ll move to competitors that are 1% more convenient than you. And having to have a VPN or download an APK or whatever, well, that may already kill the Apple market by itself.

          And then there’s the people who make money out of TikTok and create the whole social media ecosystem. Those won’t get their payments through, they’ll leave the platform and that will hurt the appeal of the app. And if people stream back to an American controlled platform, Israel gets what it wants anyways. Total suppression of their demonic deeds.

    • Adkml [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      6 months ago

      If you deleted the edge shortcut from these ghouls desktop they wouldn’t be able to access the internet. They think the way you take a screenshot is by finding your intern and telling them to do it. They 100% think this will stop anybody from using tik tok.

    • EmmaGoldman [she/her, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      6 months ago

      Actually it likely won’t even do that. On Android, it’s quite easy to have your app check a server for updates on startup and download an updated APK which the user can then install with one tap. It can require the user to grant the app permission to install updates, but you can easily just tell users how to do this, send them to the right setting, and even make the button they need to press flash so they know what to hit.

      You can also make a large number of changes server side so that users don’t even have to update the actual app very often.

      This would be a lot more of a punishment if it was still 2011, but all this will really do is make it harder for new users to install the app on iOS, where sideloading isn’t a thing in the US.

    • Munrock ☭@lemmygrad.ml
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      6 months ago

      It’s going to be a lot harder for the bigger US tiktok accounts to receive payments. That’ll drive away US-based professional influencers, which is probably a good thing overall.

  • LibsEatPoop [any]@hexbear.net
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    6 months ago

    TikTok has said it will fight it in courts. So let’s see what happens. I don’t expect them to sell, even if they lose. And if they end up getting banned in the US, I wonder what other Western countries do.

      • MolotovHalfEmpty [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        6 months ago

        The UK will do it in a heartbeat if the Americans order it. It wasn’t that long ago we were trying to ban fucking encryption until the government had months and months of beingntold by literally everyone that it was impossible and that if they found a way it would completely collapse every institution, the banks, and the economy at large.

  • Mokey [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    6 months ago

    So wait is biden just making the cool sms app into an even cooler one by banning it?

    It kinda just seems like itll teach kids how to skirt the ban, make it more popular with ppl who want to use it and also keep libs and conservatives off it… seems like a win

  • Rom [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    6 months ago

    I’m glad we’ve solved all of society’s major problems so that our politicians can spend their time legislating such trivial matters.