# Ban TikTok? How would it be done? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802 "2024-04-26T20:14:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/41 "2025-01-18T15:12:35Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > A bit more nuanced - according to the news, the law gives the president an option to suspend the law for 90 days if a valid offer to buy from an (Americn? Non-Chinese?) buyer is under negotiation. The law takes effect the day before inauguration. Biden has said that since the law goes into effect on Sunday, he will let Trump decide on Monday whether to make that certification, which requires a purchase bid by then. So he will not prosecute failure to implement the ban before Monday But that’s precisely what I disagree with. After all, Biden is not personally doing any of this either way. He would be telling his AG and justice department to prosecute or not. And obviously, the AG might be replaced with each new admin, but it’s not like the entire justice department drops every case they have going and start over. If Biden ordered the law to be enforced, Trump would specifically have to undo that order. If he wants to save TikTok, make him do that openly. Obviously in practice it is just one day and doesn’t matter; but in principle, I dislike it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/42 "2025-01-18T19:30:25Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > **OLD GEEZER QUESTION:** What does TikTok bring to the table that YouTube’s Shorts feature and/or Facebook’s Reels feature don’t? Well, two things- those are not mining your posts for personal information for spammers and scammers. Especially government backed spammers and scammers. And AFAIK, they are not suggesting really stupid dangerous things like the Tide Pod challenge. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/43 "2025-01-19T06:21:13Z")
Within the past hour or so, I saw on Facebook that the police department in South Bend, Indiana will not address 911 calls for defunct TikTok service, so don’t bother calling. I have a feeling they’re not the only city that has put this message out. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/44 "2025-01-19T06:25:44Z")
Do you have a link to this actually happening, and not just “I saw on Facebook…”? What is the actual problem happening here? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/45 "2025-01-19T06:33:38Z")
This is not even remotely true. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/46 "2025-01-19T08:14:57Z")
It could also be a joke; I remember a department putting out a similar statement for, IIRC, the show that announced the NCAA football playoffs one year. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/47 "2025-01-19T08:24:15Z")
YouTube and Facebook most certainly mine the content on their sites for personal data which they are more than happy to sell and I see no reason a Tide Pod thing couldn’t happen on those sites. Heck, the US is the only G7 country without data protection laws. The main issue for TikTok is it’s control by a foreign government (specifically China or Russia or Iran…in this case China) which can allow them undue influence on US citizens. That’s the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/48 "2025-01-19T08:44:25Z")
Screenshot from the German newspaper Handesblatt, full article **[here](https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/it-internet/tiktok-video-plattform-schaltet-sich-in-den-usa-selbst-ab/100101724.html)**, probably paywalled and in German: [![](https://images.handelsblatt.com/5bqt7h0lKacc/cover/2400/1600/0/0/167/166/0.5/0.5/die-nachricht-dass-die-tiktop-app-in-den-usa-abgeschaltet.avif) ](https://images.handelsblatt.com/5bqt7h0lKacc/cover/2400/1600/0/0/167/166/0.5/0.5/die-nachricht-dass-die-tiktop-app-in-den-usa-abgeschaltet.avif) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/49 "2025-01-19T08:49:50Z")
Weird Trump would protect TikTok since it was Trump who issued the [executive order to ban TikTok.](https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-addressing-threat-posed-tiktok/) Of course this is Trump so who knows? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/50 "2025-01-19T08:50:03Z")
So answering the original OP question: how can it be done? You get the service, in this case TikTok, to do it. Or else… probably threatening punitive fines. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/51 "2025-01-19T08:52:29Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Weird Trump would protect TikTok TikTok says something so that tanTrump is not pissed because that would make things worse for them, but it does not have to be true. If I wanted something from tanTrump I would also say that he [has beautiful hair](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PfthFfIRpQ). ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/52 "2025-01-19T13:48:18Z")
Tennis star Coco Gauff, who is in Australia for the Australian Open, reported that she was unable to access TikTok despite being in Australia. How does something like that happen? > **[Coco Gauff writes 'RIP TikTok USA' on a TV camera at the Australian Open](https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-coco-gauff-australian-open-f115c532f4f7f554482b71b95c1066c5)** > > Tennis star Coco Gauff has mourned the loss of TikTok’s app back home. The 20-year-old from Florida wrote “RIP TikTok USA” on a TV camera lens and drew a broken heart right after winning a match at the Australian Open to reach the quarterfinals. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/53 "2025-01-19T13:51:45Z")
She has a VPN on her phone? Her phone app’s records at TikTok indicate she is a US-based subscriber? I hardly find her cut-off surprising, much less mystifying. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/54 "2025-01-19T14:13:45Z")
Alan Rozenshtien over at Lawfare has written and spoken a lot about the Tik Tok issue (for example, [this article](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-supreme-court-rules-against-tiktok-now-what)). If I understand the nuances correctly: - Tik Tok is not banned _per se_. Enforcement is against the various app stores, and consists of a fine per user. It would amount to significant sums. - Tik Tok cannot be hosted by a US-based company (i.e. Oracle). They could undoubtedly find overseas providers for their server needs. - The law does not provide for reaching into devices and removing the app. Provided Tik Tok could find new servers, there is no reason the app shouldn’t work. - Deleting the app from app stores _will_ make it difficult to update the app, so in effect Tik Tok would eventually die a slow death on mobile devices. - Even if the President announces that DOJ will not enforce the law, there is probably enough potential risk of future enforcement to the app stores that they would comply anyway. Given how mercurial the incoming administration is, this would seem the wise and cautious course of action. - Tik Tok is still accessible via web browser and probably other means. - Their announcement that Tik Tok is “banned” is a publicity stunt designed to curry favor with the incoming administration. - The legislation was bipartisan (House 352-65, Senate 79-18). This is not an R v. D issue. As per usual, the issue is a lot more complex and nuanced than, “Tik Tok gone.” I would be _shocked_ if we don’t find out some day that some kind of financial transaction between Tik Tok/ByteDance and members of the Trump family occurred. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/55 "2025-01-19T18:00:40Z")
Maybe the question we should be asking is: **Turn TikTok into state media? How would it be done?** > **[Trump says he will revive TikTok, but wants 50% U.S. ownership](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/19/trump-says-he-will-revive-tiktok-but-wants-50percent-us-ownership.html)** > > President-elect Donald Trump said he would revive TikTok access in the U.S. by executive order, but wants the app to be at least half owned by U.S. investors. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/56 "2025-01-19T18:05:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > the Tide Pod challenge. > **[Consumption of Tide Pods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumption_of_Tide_Pods)** > > Like most detergent products, Tide Pods, a laundry detergent pod sold by Procter & Gamble (P&G) since 2012, can be deadly if ingested. Media reports have discussed how children and those with dementia could mistake laundry pods for candy and endanger their health or life by consuming them, and they were named an emerging health risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012. Between 2012 and 2013, poison control centers reported over 7,000 cases of young children eating laundry... ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/57 "2025-01-19T18:43:24Z")
Holy shit, look at the article: > [@](#): > > In early 2018, media publications noted that shortly after the product’s introduction, the consumption of Tide Pods became a topic of discussion on the Internet.[12][21] **Ultimately, eating Tide Pods became a meme, with its origins being credited to a 2013 thread on the Straight Dope’s website** and a 2015 article from The Onion.[21][22] You blame TikTok, but _the Tide Pod Challenge came from inside the house_! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/58 "2025-01-19T18:50:27Z")
Here’s the thread: > [@People eating Tide pods](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-eating-tide-pods/675541): > > I had heard recently that there was a group of moms who were trying to get Procter & Gamble to stop making Tide laundry detergent pods look so tasty because kids kept eating them. I got a call from an old friend a little while ago. Her elderly dad is in the hospital in critical condition. He ate a Tide pod :smack:. He doesn’t have dementia or anything. My best guess is that his failing eyesight and sense of taste led him to believe that he was eating something edible. Is it possible that Tide … ETA: the first reply is “See, that’s how it starts…” ETA2: The thread was bumped in 2018 when it was mentioned in a VICE article and the wiki page. ---
**Author:** ![Silvorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Silvorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvorange)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/59 "2025-01-19T19:14:54Z")
I’ve always felt bad that I ever made light of that. Inappropriate joking is how I cope, but it wasn’t my personal situationor my story to tell. My friend’s dad aspirated detergent and never fully recovered. He died a year later. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802/60 "2025-01-19T19:17:07Z")
I would bet that Elon ends up with the non-US owned half of TikTok and merges it into X. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-tiktok-how-would-it-be-done/1000802.md?page=4)