THE tides are changing over at TikTok – the Chinese-owned short video platform that has sparked controversy in the US.
As the deadline approaches for the government-enforced sale of its US operations, TikTok has decided to close down its Instagram-rival app.
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The app, called Notes, was an image sharing platform that resembled Meta’s Instagram.
In a notification to users, the TikTok Notes team said the app will stop working on 8 May, and “all related features will no longer be available.”
The decision to shutter the app “was not made lightly”, the team added, before suggesting users try out sister company Lemon8.
Lemon8 was one of a handful of social media platforms that US-based TikTok users turned to during the app’s brief ban in the country.
TikTok was banned for about 12 hours on 19 January, before the service was restored via an executive order signed by President Trump.
The order delayed the ban for 75 days, pending the sale of TikTok’s US division to a non-Chinese buyer.
Bidders are reportedly piling up for the app, which exploded in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Amazon is tipped to be in the running, as well as a consortium led by OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely.
Tesla owner Elon Musk, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, and Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary are also among the potential suitors, according to reports.
Popular YouTuber MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, is said to be in the mix too, alongside software giant Microsoft, and Walmart.
TikTok has until 5 April to pick a buyer or face a US ban.
Mr Trump said a deal was “very close” to being secured, and that “multiple investors” are involved, PA reported.
Who is in the bid to purchase TikTok?
Several potential suitors have lined up in an attempt to buy TikTok, as the short-form video app faces a April 5 sale deadline.
Companies interested in TikTok:
- Amazon
- Microsoft
- Walmart
- Oracle
- Rumble
Entrepreneurs:
- X owner Elon Musk
- Shark Tank investor “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary
- Tech businessman Jesse Tinsley
- Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt
- Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick
- OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely
RESTRICTIONS
TikTok, owned by Chinese technology giant ByteDance, has been restricted in other countries.
Alongside the US, the UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Taiwan have banned people working for government agencies from having TikTok on staff devices.
In 2020, India banned the platform and dozens of other Chinese apps after warning that user data was being mined and profiled “by elements hostile to national security and defence of India”.
India later made the ban permanent in January 2021.
Authorities in Pakistan have imposed a number of temporary bans over the years, citing concerns about “immoral and indecent content”.
Indonesia temporarily banned the app in 2018 for similar reasons, but lifted the ban a week later after the app agreed to censor certain content.
Nepal also banned the app in 2023, before lifting restrictions in August 2024.
How would the TikTok ban work?
TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has until April 5 to sell the beloved app or it’ll be banned over national security concerns.
In April 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law giving ByteDance 9 months to divest TikTok due to concerns the Chinese government could spy on Americans and manipulate content on TikTok.
After winning the election, President Donald Trump extended the sale deadline to April 5. Vice President JD Vance was tasked with coming up with a plan to save the app.
If ByteDance doesn’t sell TikTok to a government-approved buyer by that deadline, app stores will be forced to stop distributing or updating TikTok.
Companies like Apple and Google would be banned from helping to keep TikTok going, essentially forcing the app to die out.
While TikTok likely won’t be removed from phones, it’ll slowly degrade without any upkeep and eventually become unusable.
