SEATTLE — The Supreme Court has cleared the way for a TikTok ban to take effect on Sunday, Jan. 17. However, the Biden Administration says it’s up to the incoming Trump administration to enforce it.
The popular social media app’s users and Seattle-area content creators are reacting to the possibility of TikTok going dark after Supreme Court justices on Friday upheld a law that forces the app to sever ties with its Chinese parent company or be blocked in the U.S.
Alissa Montez’s downtown Seattle apartment isn’t just her home, but the full-time content creator’s workspace. It’s where she makes TikTok videos about female empowerment, but she admits that’s been tough to do this week amid the looming TikTok ban.
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“I typically wake up, edit, film here in this space, and then I usually take meetings and host events for a lot of people in Seattle,” Montez told KOMO News. “The back and forth has been so exhausting, especially when it’s my job on the line.”
“It feels a little bit of betrayal by our government officials looking at this so one-sided,” added Seattle-area content creator Ben Keenan.
Keenan creates popular TikToks as a fun side gig, showcasing Seattle’s food scene and other hidden gems wherever he travels, to showing just how much celebrities are paying for their glamorous vacations. He gets paid through the app’s Creativity Program based on viewership, and that’s led to sponsorship deals and other work.
“If [TikTok] goes away altogether, I’m losing $30,000 to $40,000 to $50,000 annually, minimum,” he explained, adding his videos helped him climb out of debt, and bring support to the local shops and restaurants he highlights online.
The bipartisan law passed last year and upheld by the Supreme Court banned TikTok, citing a national security threat and concerns about data collection. It’s pushing for the Chinese-owned company ByteDance to sell off its American branch by Sunday, Jan. 19.
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The move has garnered mixed reactions from visitors to Seattle’s Pike Place Market who say they use the popular app daily.
“It’s good to like look at recipes, travel ideas, like coming to Seattle,” said Mary Deyell from Baltimore.
“It’s got everything I love on it and I just really don’t want to see it go,” added Annabel Fogleman from Baltimore. “But, I definitely understand the concerns. I definitely do.”
University of Washington Associate Professor of Communications Katy Pearce explained the law threatens to fine tech companies like Apple and Google if they allow users to download the app or access TikTok content.
“Don’t worry. If you open TikTok, police are not coming to your door to grab your phone and arrest you,” Pearce explained. “The app isn’t going to disappear off your phone. If you open TikTok, nothing’s going to happen.”
She explains the ban is not a done deal. President-Elect Donald Trump could file an executive order to save the app, or there could be an extension for ByteDance to find a buyer.
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“There might be one day where TikTok goes dark, which would be a big deal, but I think what will end up happening is they’re going to find a way to sell off 20% of TikTok to an American citizen. That 20% is what it says in the bill,” she added.
Keenan says there’s no better time for app users to demand more from their elected leaders to help maintain these online communities and help creators recoup their potential losses if TikTok does go away.
“I would actually like the government to show up and show out and say, ‘Hey, here’s what the problem is and here’s how the other platforms are going to support it because at present, Meta platforms don’t pay creators,” Keenan explained.
TikTok users have been flocking to another Chinese social media app in the wake of the ban. It’s called Red Note. It launched in 2013 and is often described as the Chinese version of Instagram, but it has the short video feed element, like TikTok. Red Note is also no better than TikTok when it comes to data and privacy concerns, according to cybersecurity experts who advise against downloading it.