Are we really going to ban TikTok?

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge

The TikTok ban mightiness beryllium for existent this time. Nearly four years after the archetypal effort to get the ByteDance-owned institution either sold oregon barred from the US, a caller measure is flying done legislature votes, and President Joe Biden has already said he’ll motion it if it comes to his desk.

On this occurrence of The Vergecast, we speech astir what’s wrong the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (everybody calls it PAFFACAA, conscionable kidding; cipher calls it that, everybody conscionable calls it “The TikTok Ban”) and what we cognize astir TikTok’s transportation to China. The answer: not a lot! But 4 years in, Congress seems much convinced than ever, and that mightiness mean something. Or it mightiness not. We walk a agelong clip debating what that means.

After that, we sermon who mightiness bargain TikTok, whether TikTok is adjacent for sale, and what companies similar Meta, Snap, and X basal to summation from a TikTok ban. And finally, we effort to determine which result is the astir likely: a TikTok ban, a TikTok sale, oregon thing astatine all?

Once we dispense with the TikTok news, we speech astir YouTube’s caller redesign for TVs and Spotify’s propulsion into euphony videos — which are both, successful a way, really stories astir TikTok. Neil Young makes a astonishment reappearance connected the show, and past it’s clip for a lightning round. Brought to you by your favourite caller band, Algorithmic Warfare.

If you privation to work much connected everything we covered successful this amusement (there’s a lot!), present are a fewer links to get you started, archetypal connected TikTok:

• TikTok ban: each the quality connected attempts to prohibition the video platform
• Lawmakers present measure that would punish app stores for hosting TikTok
• House passes measure that could prohibition TikTok
• President Biden says he’ll motion a TikTok ban, if passed.
• TikTok’s destiny present lies with the Senate aft House advances way to a ban
• TikTok CEO tells users to “make their voices heard” against a measure that could prohibition the app successful the US.
• Nancy Pelosi is playing TikTok-toe. (Ditto)
• Donald Trump has adjacent much to accidental astir the TikTok ban.
• TikTok is urging users to telephone Congress astir a looming ban
• The TikTokers are revolting.
• Former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is seemingly eyeing TikTok.

And connected the streaming quality of the week:

• YouTube is revamping its TV app to marque videos consciousness mode much interactive
• Spotify present has euphony videos
• Neil Young’s euphony is backmost connected “low res Spotify” 2 years aft Rogan protest
• Elon Musk cancels Don Lemon’s amusement connected X aft a ‘tense’ interview
• Linda Yaccarino connected X: “X is becoming a video archetypal platform”

And successful the lightning round:

• Alex Cranz’s pick: British monarchy rocked by atrocious Photoshop job
• The Kate Middleton photograph ungraded is simply a uncommon — and consequential — flub
• Nilay Patel’s pick: SpaceX successfully launches Starship successful 3rd formation test
• David Pierce’s pick: Apple to let iOS app downloads nonstop from websites successful the EU
• Alex’s 2nd pick: Hands-on with the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum
• David’s 2nd pick: Microsoft Teams is yet moving to a azygous app for idiosyncratic and work
• Nilay’s 2nd pick: Nikon is acquiring US camera shaper RED

We’re truly funny to perceive what you deliberation astir the TikTok prohibition successful particular. As always, you tin get successful interaction with america by emailing vergecast@theverge.com, calling the Vergecast Hotline astatine +1-866-VERGE11, oregon hitting america up connected Threads. Or TikTok! For now.