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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday, March 23, 2023 in Washington D.C.
Looks like the TikTok ban is coming. Probably. And with unintended consequences
Barring an eleventh-hour reprieve, TikTok’s operations in the US are likely to be shut down on Sunday. China is said to be considering a sale of its stateside outfit to X owner Elon Musk as the incoming administration seeks a pause on the ban so it can pursue a deal to keep it running. While both of those options look unlikely, at least in the short term, President-elect Donald Trump is considering an executive order that would delay enforcement of the ban for 60 to 90 days.
The Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on a challenge to the ban yet, nor is it required to by the Sunday deadline. The law, passed in April, only requires that US app stores no longer carry or permit updates of TikTok, and that internet service providers block access to the TikTok website. That would leave existing users with access to the platform, though it would degrade over time. But ByteDance, the social media platform’s owner, announced Wednesday that it is preparing to fully shut down the app in the US when the ban comes into effect.
Meanwhile, in a case of unintended consequences, TikTok users have been signing up en masse for China’s TikTok equivalent, RedNote — or Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book.” The shift is connecting US and Chinese social media users, which means that one of the aims of the TikTok ban, keeping US social media users away from China, may come up short of its goal. But it’s also exposing Chinese users to thousands of Western voices – something Beijing may not appreciate either.Los Angeles City firemen spray water to protect houses threatened by a brush fire in Griffith Park, Los Angeles May 8, 2007. The fire broke out in the hills above Los Angeles forcing evacuation of the city's largest park and zoo. Local media reported that authorities have arrested an arson suspect who was badly burned.
Hard Numbers: LA faces more fires, Meta makes big cuts, US inflation ticks up, Zaijian TikTok
6 million: Fire officials in Southern California said over 6 million people are still in danger from four major fires burning in the hills around Los Angeles, with hot, dry winds expected to worsen conditions over the weekend. Herculean efforts from fire crews have contained large sections of the Palisades and Eaton fires, but they are racing against time to save as many lives and houses as possible in America’s second-largest metropolis.
5: Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, says it will lay off 5% of staff this year, amounting to about 3,600 jobs. The announcement comes amid major policy changes at the social media giant, including the end of content moderation for the US and the replacement of its public policy chief with a prominent Republican.
2.9: US inflation rose from 2.7% in November to 2.9% in December, the third straight month of accelerating price hikes while rates remain well above their target levels. That said, underlying pressures of inflation appear to be easing, and analysts still believe the Federal Reserve will be able to proceed with planned interest rate cuts in 2025 – though how the Trump administration’s planned tariffs will skew plans is yet to be seen.
700,000: Have you paid your cat tax? You’ll need to share a cute pic of your favorite feline if you join the 700,000 TikTok users who have set up shop over at rival Chinese video streaming app Xiaohongshu, also known by its English name RedNote. (The literal translation, “Little Red Book” was also the nickname of the collection of Mao Zedong’s sayings that Red Guards used to justify atrocities during the Cultural Revolution). So far, the “refugees” have had a playful welcome, with Chinese netizens teaching the newcomers Mandarin and engaging in absurdist humor in exchange for coveted pet pics.