The popular social media platform TikTok in the United States is on the verge of closing its doors after the United States Supreme Court on Friday allowed federal law imposing a nationwide ban to take effect.
However, questions remain as to whether this situation could still be reversed.
Uncertainty over the app’s future could have repercussions in Canada, experts say, even as Ottawa says what happens in the United States won’t impact its own measures to restrict TikTok activities.
The Supreme Court ruling upholds a law passed in April that sets a Sunday deadline for TikTok’s China-based owner ByteDance to sell the social media app or face a ban. TikTok’s operations in the United States are also expected to cease in light of the ban.
US President-elect Donald Trump’s new national security adviser, Mike Waltz, told Fox News on Thursday that the new administration, which takes office on Monday, would keep TikTok alive in the United States if there was a viable deal , without detailing the specific measures Trump would take. .
It’s unclear how much authority Trump has to intervene, although he could order the Justice Department not to enforce the law, threatening sanctions against the tech companies that make the app available and host it.
Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney general, dodged a question Wednesday during her Senate confirmation hearing about whether she would maintain a ban on TikTok.
“We will put measures in place to prevent TikTok from slipping into obscurity,” Waltz said, pointing to a provision in the law allowing a 90-day extension if there is “significant progress” toward a divestment.
“Essentially, this buys President Trump time to maintain TikTok,” Waltz said.
ByteDance has maintained its refusal to sell TikTok and part with the platform’s very lucrative algorithm. If Trump used the “significant progress” provision, it could be challenged in Congress or in court.
Separately, congressional Democrats introduced legislation this week that would extend the forced divestiture deadline by 270 days. Lawmakers say millions of businesses rely on TikTok for marketing and that people affected by the deadly Los Angeles wildfires have shared critical information on the app.
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“It’s clear that more time is needed to find a U.S. buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on the U.S. Senate floor Thursday. .
The U.S. law cited national security concerns that TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users were at risk of propaganda and data collection by the Chinese government.
What will be the impact on Canada?
Last year, Canada ordered TikTok to be shut down its business operations in Canada after saying a national security review raised similar concerns about Chinese influence. However, the government said at the time that it would still allow Canadians to use and access the app.
Innovation and Science Minister François-Philippe Champagne and other Canadian officials have repeatedly refused to explain in detail what these concerns are and what evidence they have, citing security laws national and privacy protection. He also did not fully explain why he believes Canadians can continue to use TikTok safely, although he did warn users to be careful with their personal data and information.
A spokesperson for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada told Global News that what happens to TikTok in the United States will not affect the Canadian decision.
“The government’s decision under the Investment Canada Act is final,” spokesperson Justin Simard said in an email.
TikTok is seeking a judicial review of the government’s decision, preventing the government from commenting further.
Brett Caraway, associate professor at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, says a shutdown of TikTok’s U.S. operations would further solidify TikTok’s business base in China, putting more distance between Canadian and American users and the platform.
“ByteDance’s main operations are in Beijing,” he said in an interview. “So if you have technical problems, if you have any concerns, you no longer talk to anyone in Canada or the United States.”
The main impact Canadians might see from a U.S. shutdown, Caraway said, is a sudden disappearance of U.S. content, customer base and ad revenue on TikTok.
“All of a sudden there would be 170 million fewer users on TikTok,” he said. “For Canadians monetizing TikTok, it’s their most lucrative audience.”
Canada does not have a law in place that would allow the government to ban an app like TikTok like American law does.
US law imposes a ban on new downloads of TikTok on the Apple or Google app stores if ByteDance fails to sell the site.
Users who downloaded TikTok could theoretically still use the app, but the law also prohibits U.S. companies from providing services that enable distribution, maintenance or updating of it once a ban begins.
The president may grant a one-time 90-day deadline for the ban if he certifies to Congress that there has been evidence of significant progress and that there are binding legal agreements in place to allow for complete divestment within three months .
The legislation was passed as part of a broader bill that, among other measures, provided billions of dollars in urgent military and humanitarian aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
Trump reversed his stance on the popular app, after trying to ban it during his first term on national security grounds. He joined TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign, and his team used it to connect with young voters, particularly male voters, by spreading content that was often macho and aimed at going viral.
He pledged to “save TikTok” during the campaign and credited the platform with helping him win more youth votes.
“There is no better negotiator than Donald Trump,” Karoline Leavitt, the new White House press secretary and spokesperson for the Trump transition team, told Reuters.
—With files from Associated Press and Reuters