
- TikTok has until January 19 to sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or it faces shutdown in the U.S. »
- The ban is driven by PAFACA, which is aimed at protecting U.S. national security from foreign threats »
- As interest in VPNs skyrockets, the rise in demand presents both a challenge for the government and an upswing for hosting companies »
With a critical January 19 deadline just around the corner, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, must secure an American-based buyer, or it faces a permanent ban in the U.S.
This comes nearly a year after President Joe Biden signed legislation that paved the way for a potential TikTok ban. In December, TikTok petitioned the Supreme Court to reconsider or extend the deadline, but the request was denied on January 10.
The TikTok ban is part of the broader Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), a law aimed at blocking foreign apps that pose national security risks.

TikTok officials, American users, and even government representatives argue that the ban infringes on First Amendment rights to freedom of speech.
Despite this, TikTok’s future in the U.S. is looking grim. While some anxiously wait for news, others are taking matters into their own hands by turning to VPNs.
National security versus freedom of speech?
With PAFACA, lawmakers show they are firm on national security, arguing that ByteDance could share sensitive user data with the Chinese government.
Unsurprisingly, the Supreme Court swiftly rejected TikTok’s request to pause the deadline last Friday. Despite the Court’s firm stance, Americans continue to voice opposition, including Democratic Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts.
In an official statement, Markey acknowledged the valid concerns surrounding TikTok, especially regarding privacy risks and their impact on the mental health of young users:
“I will continue to hold TikTok accountable for such behavior. But a TikTok ban would impose serious consequences on millions of Americans who depend on the app for social connections and their economic livelihood. We cannot allow that to happen.”
U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said many of the young Americans standing firm against this ban aren’t quite seeing the bigger picture.
“There is evidence ByteDance has taken action to misuse data at the People’s Republic of China’s request outside of China,” Prelogar said, referring to a 2022 incident when ByteDance employees were accused of using TikTok data to spy on American reporters.
“There are a lot of teenagers using TikTok today who might ignore a warning like that and not really care, but they’re going to grow up, and they might become members of our military. They might become senior government officials,” said Prelogar.
VPNs are in the air
Google Trends has shown a sharp spike in interest for the search term “VPN,” soaring from a score of 79 to a peak of 100 in just 30 days — making January the highest level of popularity for the term in recent history.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a privacy tool that prevents tracking by internet service providers, government agencies, advertisers, and hackers. It encrypts data and hides online activity, location, and IP address for added security and anonymity.
If the TikTok ban takes effect, it’s safe to assume that many users will turn to VPNs to continue accessing the app.
And it’s not just consumers: 61.2% of marketers prioritize brand awareness on the platform, so I wouldn’t be surprised if those businesses also adopt enterprise-level VPNs.
Lauren Hendry Parsons, the director of communications and advocacy at ExpressVPN, told Slate that “there is a perspective that says these kinds of restrictions drive up VPN interest and VPN adoption.”
I can’t help but wonder what kind of Pandora’s box this would open. Will tech companies that let people access apps through VPNs also come under scrutiny? Will they realize the legal risks and start blocking access, too?
Maybe. But Hendry Parsons believes that the why behind the what is where we should focus our attention.
“These kinds of restrictions — if they were very limited in nature — might be a positive thing singularly. When we take them together, and when we see that there’s an ongoing global trend towards mass surveillance, censorship, and fragmentation of the internet, it’s deeply concerning,” said Hendry Parsons.
The surge could just turn out to be just a fleeting moment, a simple blip in the bigger picture of American censorship.
A race against the clock
So, if not VPNs, where will people go instead?
Other apps are already making headway. Apple’s App Store Top Charts show that RedNote, Lemon8, and Clapper are among the top three most popular apps. Interestingly, China either owns or is a stakeholder in all of these companies.
It seems clear that even if TikTok goes away, Chinese-backed apps won’t.

Jasmin Enberg, principal analyst at Emarketer, suggests that a significant portion of TikTok’s audience may also migrate to existing platforms, such as Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts.
“Instagram is now a video-first platform, with users spending close to two-thirds of their Instagram time watching videos,” said Enberg. “If the TikTok ban is enforced in 2025, Instagram could capture over one-fifth of reallocated TikTok ad dollars in the U.S.”
Maybe that’s good news for Meta. But until then, TikTok’s future hangs in the balance, waiting for a hero to swoop in. Whether that happens, though, is probably up to the billionaires in Silicon Valley.