ORLANDO, Fla. — Unless TikTok severs ties with China-based parent company Byte Dance, TikTok is expected to go dark Sunday for more than 170 million Americans.
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This is after the Supreme Court upheld the federal law that would ban the app in the U.S.
Millions of Americans go to this app for a source of community, expression, and for some, it’s their livelihood.
For some, it’s their only source of income, but already, people are switching to another app with Chinese ties.
Read: Trump says he will ‘most likely’ give TikTok a 90-day extension
“They picked up some kid in Orlando. And now I’m Bryan the Diamond, and I have a big business and I have brands, my partners,” said Bryan Whitman.
Bryan the Diamond is just one of the local Tik Tok success stories. Practically overnight, he went from an uber driver to an influencer. Now, he has more than 6.7 million followers.
He says TikTok opened doors he never knew were possible. “I wouldn’t even say doors. I would say it opens a building just doors all in the building just stayed open because the algorithm and just the opportunities,” Whitman said. “They pay you for your content. They like to give back to their creators.”
However, the app, along with all of its perks, will end for Americans on Sunday when a federal law takes effect.
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The Supreme Court essentially sided with national security concerns about TikTok collecting data over First Amendment rights.
“You’re showing Americans that you you’re not really caring about what they have to say. So what are they going to do as gen-z they’re going to go to a different app,” Whitman said.
“I have already moved on to RedNote,” said Deb Durdin.
She is one of thousands of Americans who’s already signed up for another Chinese app, RedNote.
Read: What will happen to TikTok on Apple and Google’s app store on Sunday?
She started a TikTok for fun to promote her DJ company. She often shares her DJing live on the weekends. One of the videos has received more than 17 thousand views. Now, she’s posting her content to RedNote.
“Just to grow your fan base and, you know, if I’m not in the club, then I want to show my talent and what I’ve been working on,” Durdin said.
Lawyer Tom Julin with the Gunster Firm says this migration to RedNote is a classic First Amendment problem.
“When you whack down one mole, then something else pops up somewhere else. You. You really just can’t effectively regulate speech of this sort,” Julin said.
Now, the real question is if this ban will stick. There are a couple of different scenarios here.
If TikTok severs ties with its Chinese-based company then it could potentially end the ban.
Also, there’s questions on if President-elect Donald Trump once sworn in will sign an executive order ending the ban. He posted on Truth Social, saying he will make a decision in the not far distant future.
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