The clock is ticking for TikTok. The popular video app faces a ban in the US unless its parent company, ByteDance, sells its domestic operations to an American buyer by January 19, 2025.

The deadline comes after months of mounting pressure from lawmakers, who argue that ByteDance's Chinese ownership poses a national security risk, with the Chinese government potentially accessing user data or influencing content on the platform. ByteDance has denied the allegations.

As President-elect Donald Trump reportedly weighs a plan to delay the ban, US creators are scrambling to find alternatives to replace the platform.

At the same time, digital rights advocates warn that singling out one platform with a ban will do little to protect users — and could ultimately backfire.

"It's like playing a dangerous game of whack-a-mole that ends up putting users at even greater risk online," said Natalie Campbell, senior director for North American government and regulatory affairs at the nonprofit Internet Society.

While concerns about TikTok's security and privacy are legitimate, an outright ban would drive some users to unsafe workarounds and leave them more vulnerable than before, she told DW.

"People who rely on TikTok for their livelihood, for their income, will try to find workarounds to........

© Deutsche Welle