Furious TikTok users are lashing out at the Supreme Court after it unanimously upheld a federal law on Friday requiring TikTok’s parent company, China-based ByteDance, to divest its ownership to avoid the platform being outright banned in the U.S.
The law is set to take effect on Sunday, at which point TikTok said it would block access entirely.
Previously, reports suggested that new users would be unable to download the app, and existing users would be unable to update it—access would remain, but it would gradually degrade over time.
TikTok users have not hesitated to voice their outrage about the decision.
“I absolutely HATE our bought and paid for Supreme Court!” commented one person.
“Just move to rednote, we can’t let them get what they want,” another user advocated, referencing the Chinese app that has become a burgeoning platform for many self-described “TikTok refugees.”
Pressed about the potential of RedNote being banned in the future—which some officials have indicated is well within the realm of possibility—that user retorted: “Then we will move to another Chinese app, but this is about letting them know we ain’t doing what they want!”
“This is not how I saw today going. I had a little bit of faith in our broken government system,” another user said in a video, adding moments later, “I’m so frustrated I can’t even speak … We are a laughingstock to other countries.”
@themadivlog They have failed us yet again #fyp #tiktokban #supremecourt ♬ original sound – Madilynn Cameron🩵
“I’ll be honest: I’m quite surprised. I did not see that really happening considering all the options that were available. This is going to feel like a giant slap in the face,” another creator echoed, though she went on to express optimism about both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump signaling they would not enforce a ban.
“There are ways that this could be reversed,” she added.
@sarahebaus This is a kick in the stomach, but the fight isn’t over. I’ll be back later with more news. I love you very very much #keeptiktok #savetiktok #tiktokban ♬ original sound – Sarah Baus
“Remember in school when we would learn about the countries that had bans on the internet and we thought it was so wild …” mused that video’s top reply.
Biden, who signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act into law in April, has since shifted his stance on the video-sharing platform.
On Thursday, a U.S. official told ABC News that Biden will not enforce the ban in his final days in office, leaving the fate of the app’s future in Trump’s hands—and stirring further outrage.
“always the coward. That’s Joe being Joe,” blasted one person.
“Wait so he bans and now he wants to save it?? What a joke” swiped someone else.
However, even if neither Biden nor Trump choose to enforce the ban, internet hosting companies may still err on the side of caution while the law is in effect, as fines for those companies are as high as $5,000 for each user that is able to use TikTok while the ban is in effect.
The platform has 170 million users in the U.S.
Trump, for his part, has pledged to keep TikTok available in the U.S.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that he is considering issuing an executive order to circumvent the Supreme Court’s ruling, which would likely still force a sale but allow TikTok to continue to operate for 60 to 90 days.
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