What TikTok might look like for users in the US — and around the world — if it goes dark

The US Supreme Court could announce a decision upholding the TikTok ban on Friday as the outgoing Biden administration pushes the issue to President-elect Donald Trump, who showed readiness to save the power of social media.

The Chinese-owned platform is preparing to go dark on Sunday if the country’s top court decides to uphold a ban brought forward by the Biden administration, citing national security concerns. The platform cannot continue to operate in the US unless it is sold.

NBC news quoted a Joe Biden official said that “Americans shouldn’t expect TikTok to be suddenly banned on Sunday” and that the administration is looking for a way to implement the law without the app going dark.

Trump’s future national security adviser, Mike Waltz, meanwhile, said Trump would intervene if the Supreme Court upheld the ban.

Still, the 170 million Americans who use the app could see some changes if the ban passes.

While US users won’t be forced to delete the app, it could become increasingly unusable.

Carmi Levy, a technology analyst in London, Ont., expects “more of a glitch than a Big Bang. But the bottom line is that if you live in the U.S., the experience will eventually be much worse than it is now.”

Here’s what could happen to TikTok if the ban goes through:

• Removal from app stores: The US will force Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores so US users can’t download it. Lawmakers told the tech giants be ready for such a move back in December and can punish them if they don’t comply.
• App updates will stop: US users who already have the app will likely no longer be able to update it. This means that bugs and errors will not be fixed or new features will be added, making TikTok increasingly frustrating to use.
• Hackers could gain leverage: No update means there is no opportunity to fix security issues affecting the app, which could make users more vulnerable to hacking and cyber security.
• Message from TikTok: If the ban is implemented, TikTok will show US users who already have the app a message informing them of the law. It will also offer them the opportunity to download their personal information.

Toronto-based cybersecurity expert Ritesh Kotak has a different hypothesis. He thinks TikTok users will be able to click on the app, “but the screen won’t load. It might just be a wheel that keeps scrolling, but it’s likely to be completely blank and you won’t be able to use the app at all.”

How will US users get around the ban?

What about workarounds? Some users have suggested that they will scroll through TikTok using a VPNor a virtual private network, which is a tool that allows you to hide your digital location.

But that might not be as easy as it sounds. TikTok likely has other ways of tracking a user’s location, such as usage geolocation data from an individual’s phone. And the US government is likely to put in place a mechanism that prevents IP addresses belonging to TikTok from being accessed at all, Kotak says.

Users who circumvent the ban and are caught could be hit with financial penalties, but “we just don’t know, because we don’t know what kind of penalty will actually be,” he added.

What happens if 170 million users disappear?

Content creators recently told CBC News about TikTok’s demise could mean to them. After 170 million US users disappear, what will TikTok feeds look like for Canadians and other users around the world?

“This is a global app, more than a billion users worldwide. And they will also be affected because US Tiktok users make up a significant audience for many global users outside the US,” Levy said.

“Suddenly the remaining users in other countries may find it not as valuable anymore after all the Americans are gone or find some other app to use.”

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will reportedly attend Trump inauguration on January 20 — a gesture that resonates with other tech executives hoping to build a friendly relationship with the incoming administration.