Is the Clock Running Out on Tik Tok or Not?

Friday night, many TikTok creators flooded to the app to say their good-byes to their followers as news came that TikTok was possibly being banned as early as Saturday.

President Trump announced Friday to reporters on Air Force One, on his trip from Washington to Florida, that he planned to ban the Chinese owned app as soon as Saturday. “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” Trump said.

Well, Saturday rolled around and the popular app was still standing, as if nothing happened, leaving a lot of TikTok users confused about the future of the app.

Understandably, many users of this app have a lot of questions like: Can Trump actually ban this app? Why would he do such a thing? If TikTok actually gets banned, where in the world are we going to find entertainment that’s as engaging?

Trump declared TikTok and WeChat a “national emergency” on August 6th, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). This allows him to ban transactions between U.S. and foreign entities in the case of national security threat.

The main question is if Pres. Trump can actually ban TikTok. According to him, he can. Trump said, “Well, I have that authority. I can do it with an executive order or that.” Banning this app goes deeper than just an executive order, though.

“This is another abuse of emergency powers under the broad guise of national security,” said ACLU national security head Hina Shamsi in a statement. “It would violate the First Amendment rights of users in the United States by subjecting them to civil and possibly criminal penalties for communicating with family members, friends, or business contacts.”

Why would Trump want to ban little ole’ TikTok? It’s full of comedic videos, cooking instruction and so much more that doesn’t seem like a national issue.

Trump and his administration are claiming that the Chinese owned business may be posing a threat to national security because it could be allowing the Chinese government to access the user’s information.

Saturday morning, the general manager of the app, Vanessa Pappas, released a video responding to the president’s statement stating that the app isn’t going anywhere, at least without a fight.

A message to the TikTok community. pic.twitter.com/UD3TR2HfEf

— TikTok US (@tiktok_us) August 1, 2020

Is the clock running out on TikTok? That all seems up in the air this point, but if TikTok gets banned, what are its user and creators to do?

Allegedly, the U.S. rights may be up for purchase to keep the app running in the states. Microsoft is reportedly one of the companies that is considering making the purchase.

TikTok has brought fame to many people, including Charli D’ Amelio, Addison Rae, Tabitha Brown, Chase “Lil Huddy” Hudson. A handful of other popular have based their careers off of this app.

A lot of these creators are taking their talents to Youtube or another app called Triller, but whether or not they will able to reach the following they’ve earned on TikTok is up for question.

Overall, the blurred and mixed communications between what the White House says and what TikTok execs say have only led to more confusion, with people wondering whether TikTok’s days are really numbered.