Are we really going to ban TikTok?

On this episode of The Vergecast, we talk about what’s inside the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (everybody calls it PAFFACAA, just kidding; nobody calls it that, everybody just calls it “The TikTok Ban”) and what we know about TikTok’s connection to China. The answer: not a lot! But four years in, Congress seems more convinced than ever, and that might mean something. Or it might not. We spend a long time debating what that means.

After that, we discuss who might buy TikTok, whether TikTok is even for sale, and what companies like Meta, Snap, and X stand to gain from a TikTok ban. And finally, we try to decide which outcome is the most likely: a TikTok ban, a TikTok sale, or nothing at all?

If you want to read more on everything we covered in this show (there’s a lot!), here are a few links to get you started, first on TikTok:

And on the streaming news of the week:

And in the lightning round:

We’re really curious to hear what you think about the TikTok ban in particular. As always, you can get in touch with us by emailing [email protected], calling the Vergecast Hotline at +1-866-VERGE11, or hitting us up on Threads. Or TikTok! For now.