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TikTok is reportedly planning a total shutdown of the Chinese-owned video-sharing app when the law requiring a ban or sale of the app takes effect on Sunday.

The roughly 170 million US users who try to access the app will be greeted with a pop-up message directing them to a website with details about the ban, according to the Information.

Users will also be given the option of downloading their data from the app, sources familiar with the plan told the outlet.

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[-] circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org 20 points 16 hours ago

Kind of funny that this kicks in the day before an inauguration.

[-] Zagorath@aussie.zone 9 points 10 hours ago

Not funny, a deliberate decision by the legislature in order to safeguard it from whoever was going to win the election (since it was set before the election).

[-] COASTER1921@lemmy.ml 17 points 16 hours ago

Conveniently just in time for Trump to blame it on the Democrats even though he started the process during his previous term.

[-] krolden@lemmy.ml 13 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

It passed with bipartisan support

[-] rob200@endlesstalk.org 10 points 14 hours ago

"They" say they are banning it over national security concerns I think it's deeper then that. They can't have a socialist like platform having an audience. Which in my opinion is why they wanted to force a sell or just ban Tiktok.

I don't think, that they will go after Rednote if it doesn't gain popularity the way that Tiktok did.

[-] bl4kers@lemmy.ml 17 points 9 hours ago

socialist like platform having an audience. Which in my opinion is why they wanted to force a sell or just ban Tiktok.

This logic doesn't follow. What does forcing a sale have to do with being "socialist like" ? TikTok has been diluted into a sales platform anyway.

[-] rob200@endlesstalk.org 1 points 2 hours ago

If they sell the platform to an American company, it wouldn't be Chinese owned. and CHina is (currently) a socialist leaning country, once sold to an American company, it's gonna be more capitalist focused then it already was. idk why people miss that.

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 42 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Are American iPhone users going to rediscover web browsing? https://www.tiktok.com/explore

Are American Android users going to discover sideloading? https://lifehacker.com/tech/how-to-use-tiktok-if-its-banned-in-the-us

[-] atocci@lemmy.world 30 points 19 hours ago

A "complete shutdown" as the article describes it makes it sound like neither of those two things will help.

[-] Xtallll 17 points 16 hours ago

Very Possibly No workaround

[-] KyuubiNoKitsune 3 points 9 hours ago
[-] dragonfucker@lemmy.nz 1 points 15 hours ago

Viral Film Displayer

[-] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 18 points 18 hours ago

There goes my plan to sell jailbroken iPhones to zoomers.

[-] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 7 points 18 hours ago

Could you not access with a VPN?

[-] DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zone 5 points 14 hours ago

Maybe I should get on tiktok. A social media app with Americans sounds wonderful

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 12 points 18 hours ago

Users will also be given the option of downloading their data from the app, sources familiar with the plan told the outlet.

That’s nice of them. I bet Facebook and Twitter wouldn’t do that.

[-] gerbler@lemmy.world 12 points 18 hours ago

Pretty sure they're both required to do that by law. I've downloaded all my Facebook data a few times

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 6 points 18 hours ago

True, but I doubt they’d put the effort into making it easy for someone to download it in the message.

[-] BartyDeCanter@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 17 hours ago

I don't know about twitter, but its very easy to download all of your data from Facebook. I did it yesterday in preparation for closing my account. Account->Settings&Privacy->Your Information->Download Your Information.

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 3 points 17 hours ago

That is a bit harder than “click here to download” on the front page.

[-] thezeesystem 9 points 19 hours ago

Good we should be more invested in better apps like redNOTE.

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 21 points 19 hours ago

RedNote is just another corporate social media platform, so I won’t gush over it. But it is exposing Burgerstanis to regular people in China, which is a positive. I have no idea how the RedNote’s owners are going to respond to this. For instance, how are they going to monetize an American audience? Or at least recoup the costs? I doubt they had a plan for this, because I don’t think anyone could have predicted it.

The US government will likely censor this app as well. I think this falls under the same law that TikTok does.

[-] small44@lemmy.world 10 points 19 hours ago

It's like trying to stop piracy. No matter how many app the government try to ban, new ones will appear

[-] COASTER1921@lemmy.ml 5 points 16 hours ago

There does come a point where the inconvenience slowly moves the masses to other platforms. It's not that difficult to access the full internet in China with any data-only esim being unrestricted by default and many VPNs working just fine. But it's just difficult enough to do this that the masses don't. Piracy functions the same way, if piracy were truly broad in scale then it would be taken much more seriously.

[-] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 6 points 17 hours ago

I wouldn't be surprised if China locked out US users before the US even banned it. Chinese are already telling US users that they are saying things that DEFINITELY should not be said on the app.

Here's a little Nostradamus... "I had the most best chat with Xi. He told me that Americans are superior to the Chinese, so they don't want to see us on RedNote anymore. But don't worry, I told you I would save Tiktok... introducing Trump Talk"

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 6 points 16 hours ago

A torrent of Western chauvinist trolls does seem inevitable, if my experience as an Lemmy mod is any indication.

[-] melroy@kbin.melroy.org 9 points 19 hours ago

I think it's even better to not use these kind of 'social media' apps.

[-] melroy@kbin.melroy.org 5 points 19 hours ago

But what do all these TikTok users need to do suddenly? Talk to each other face to face? Doing something useful in live? Help?

[-] dessalines@lemmy.ml 40 points 18 hours ago

You are typing on a computer / phone right now on another social media platform, probably not the time to feel superior.

[-] melroy@kbin.melroy.org 5 points 16 hours ago

But the fediverse is better right ;)? They can't even ban it haha

[-] coacoamelky@lemm.ee 7 points 18 hours ago

Youre on lemmy, specifically a small community within a small community. Can't you see the irony?

[-] melroy@kbin.melroy.org 4 points 16 hours ago

I did forget to add /s

[-] then_three_more@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago

Na, Instagram and YouTube have short form videos now.

this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2025
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