What TikTok could look like for users in the U.S. — and around the world —

The U.S. Supreme Court could release a decision to uphold a ban of TikTok on Friday, as the outgoing Biden administration pushes the issue to president-elect Donald Trump, who has demonstrated a willingness to save the social media juggernaut.

The Chinese-owned platform is preparing to go dark on Sunday, should the country’s top court choose to uphold a ban that the Biden administration put forward, citing national security concerns. The platform can’t continue operation in the U.S. unless it is sold.

NBC News quoted a Joe Biden official as saying that “Americans shouldn’t expect to see TikTok suddenly banned on Sunday,” and that the administration is looking for a way to implement the law without the app going dark.

Trump’s incoming natural security adviser, Mike Waltz, meanwhile said that Trump would intervene if the Supreme Court upholds the ban.

Still, the 170 million Americans who use the app might see some changes if the ban goes through.

While U.S. users won’t be forced to delete the app, it could become increasingly unusable. 

Carmi Levy, a tech analyst in London., Ont., expects “more of a fizzle than a Big Bang. But bottom line is, if you live in the U.S., the experience is going to be a lot worse over time than it is now.”

Here’s what could happen to TikTok if a ban goes through:

• Removal from app stores: The U.S. will force Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their respective app stores so that U.S. users can’t download it. Lawmakers told the tech giants to be prepared for such a move back in December and can fine them if they don’t comply.
   
• App updates will stop: U.S. users who already have the app likely won’t be able to update it anymore. That means bugs and glitches won’t get fixed and new features won’t be added, making TikTok increasingly frustrating to use.
   
• Hackers could gain steam: No updates mean no opportunity to fix security issues affecting the app, which could make users more vulnerable to hacks and cybersecurity breaches.
   
• A message from TikTok: If the ban is enforced, TikTok will show U.S. users who already have the app a message that informs them of the law. It will also offer them a chance to download their personal data.

Toronto cybersecurity expert Ritesh Kotak has a different hypothesis. He thinks that TikTok users will be able to click on the app, “but the screen wouldn’t load. It might just be a wheel that continues to scroll, but probably chances are it’s just going to be completely blank and you won’t be able to use the app at all.”

WATCH | Polievre says he’ll be following the U.S. decision on a TikTok ban ‘very closely’: 

Poilievre says he’ll be watching U.S. TikTok ban decision very closely

During a news conference in Delta, B.C., Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he previously ordered Conservative MPs, senators and staff to stop using the TikTok social media app because it risks espionage, infiltration and manipulation by what he called the hostile regime in Beijing….