Will TikTok ‘Go Dark’ on Sunday? His future is unknown

The clock can run out of TikTok. Or maybe not yet.

A lot of word coming out of the weekend has made it unclear what will happen to the popular Chinese website come Sunday, when the US ban begins. Among the possibilities: “It could be dark.” It can be dark for only one day. Or it may still work, for a while.

Recently, US President-elect Donald Trump, who is due to be sworn in on Monday, said on Saturday that he might give TikTok a refund for several months. This followed comments from TikTok and the outgoing Biden administration, who said they would drop the ban for the incoming president.

TikTok said on Friday night that it would “go dark” on Sunday unless there is clear assurance from the authorities that the ban will not be enforced. The statement issued by the White House and the Department of Justice “failed to provide clarity and assurance” to those who provide the services necessary for TikTok to be available in the US, TikTok said in a statement on X.

“Unless the Biden Administration makes a firm commitment to meet the most difficult service providers to prove inaction, TikTok will unfortunately be forced to go dark on January 19,” the company said.

On Saturday morning, however, the White House called TikTok’s comments a ploy. The company’s statement is “shocking,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement issued to reporters. “We don’t see any reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the next few days before the Trump Administration takes office on Monday.”

The White House released a words On Friday, he said that Biden’s position on TikTok has not changed – he still thinks that TikTok should remain available to the American people, but with ownership that meets the security concerns of the government. “Considering the timing, the commission realizes that the implementation of this law should fall to the next government,” he said. Jean-Pierre echoed that sentiment on Saturday, saying, “TikTok and other companies have to do something” with the incoming Trump administration.

Saturday, Trump he said NBC News that if he takes office he will “delay” the ban on TikTok for 90 days. “If I decide to do it, I will probably make an announcement on Monday,” Trump told the outlet. Such removal is permitted in the applicable laws.

The latest statements from key players come after the US Supreme Court this week rejected TikTok’s request a violation of the law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year successfully banning the program in the US if TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, does not sell to a buyer deemed suitable by US authorities by Sunday.

On Friday, the country’s highest court rejected TikTok’s argument that the ban violated the free speech rights of the US company, as well as its 170 million US users. Instead, it agreed with the government’s argument that the ban is not about free speech at all but about ownership and national security.

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Lawmakers from both parties have complained that TikTok could be a national security threat and could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans or spread disinformation to advance China’s agenda.

TikTok continues to deny these allegations. Ahead of a vote in Congress earlier this year, TikTok encouraged its US usersthey are asking them to encourage their representatives on Capitol Hill to vote for the ban. But the measure passed both houses of Congress and was signed by Biden.

Trump, who pushed for a ban during his first term, now says he doesn’t favor one. Ahead of the oral arguments, Trump’s lawyers wrote an amicus brief in the case. They did not take part but instead asked the court to delay the ban to give Trump time to bring about a “political decision.”

In a movie posted Friday afternoon on TikTok and other social media sites, TikTok CEO Shou Chew did not say what TikTok plans to do, or what American users will see when they open their apps after the deadline. Instead, he thanked Trump for promising to work with TikTok to find a solution that would make the app work in the US.

“We are grateful and happy to have the support of a president who understands our platform well – who has used TikTok to express his thoughts and views, connect with the world and generate more than 60 billion views on his content,” Chew said.

So what’s next for lawmakers and TikTok? Here’s what you need to know.

What does the law do?

The order seeks to compel ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American buyer in good standing, and to ensure that ByteDance no longer has access to US users’ information or control of TikTok’s algorithm that selects which videos American users see.

TikTok was given nine months to comply, hence the deadline of January 19, when the government would require its app to be removed from US stores. The president can extend 90 days. Earlier this week, two Senate Democrats announced legislation that would have given TikTok another nine monthsbut it was blocked by the Republicans.

TikTok has already said that selling is not an option. As it said in its planned Friday X post, TikTok may choose to “go dark” if the ban goes into effect. It is also possible that the program will die slowly. It would not shut down, but it would no longer be available in the Google and Apple stores and users would not be able to access software updates, which would eventually make the software easier to use.

Biden, who signed the bill that established the requirements, will remain in office until Inauguration Day on January 20.

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What’s next?

After calling for a ban during his first presidency, Trump said during the 2024 campaign that he would not support one and promised to “save TikTok,” although he did not say how he would do it.

At a press conference in December, Trump highlighted the role TikTok played in the election, crediting it with helping him win the youth vote.

“TikTok had an impact, so we’re looking,” Trump told reporters. “I have a little warm spot in my heart. I’ll be honest.”

Trumpet he said in March on CNBC’s Squawk Box that although he considered the app a threat to national security, he did not think it should be banned, saying, “There are a lot of little kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it.”

Trump added that banning TikTok would only increase the power of Facebook, which he called “the enemy of the people.”

In September, Trump promised “you know TikTok,” according to an Associated Press report interview that aired last month on Meet the PressTrump did not specifically say whether he would help TikTok avoid a ban.

The Saturday before the ban, Mr. Trump he said NBC News said he “might” give TikTok a 90-day extension. “You know, it’s appropriate,” Trump told the outlet. “We have to look carefully. It’s very difficult.” Trump said he would likely announce the extension on Monday, if he decides to finalize it.

Who has opposed the TikTok ban?

Free speech and digital rights groups, as well as some security experts, have long opposed the ban, saying that TikTok’s ban does nothing to solve the growing problems with social media. Many filed briefs in the high court in favor of TikTok.

Instead, he argues that lawmakers would be better off passing digital privacy laws that would protect Americans’ personal information by regulating the ability of all internet companies to collect, share and sell it.

Electronic Frontier Foundation Civil Liberties Director David Greene, co-author amicus brief which was submitted to the court late last month, said the EFF was “deeply disappointed” that the court had chosen not to focus on free speech in the case and instead focused on the government’s “privacy concerns”.

He said that America’s enemies do not need other ways to steal, extort, or buy American goods.

“Banning or enforcing the sale of a single television program will not protect the privacy of the American public—only consumer privacy laws can achieve that goal,” Greene said in an EFF statement.

CNET’s Edward Moyer contributed to this report.