Northwestern experts on the fate of TikTok as ban deadline approaches

EVANSTON, Ill. --- As the ban deadline approaches, the fate of TikTok remains uncertain. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in January that ByteDance — TikTok’s China-based parent company — had to sell the popular app to an American company by Jan. 19. On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he delayed the ban through executive order to April 5.

A few entities have expressed interest in buying the app. Trump told reporters last week that he will extend the ban again if a deal isn’t reached by the deadline.

Northwestern faculty are available to discuss related legal issues, corporate acquisition and governance and the research opportunity the removal of TikTok could provide.

Paul Gowder is a professor of law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. His research focuses on the rule of law, democratic theory, social and racial equality, institutional and organizational governance, law and technology, and classical Athenian law and political thought.

His latest book, “The Networked Leviathan,” provides an alternative, democratic framework for how online platforms could leverage users, rather than employees, to do the very important work of regulating fellow users to prevent fraud, stop misinformation and avoid violence.

Harry Kraemer is a clinical professor of leadership at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. His expertise is in corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and value-based leadership.

To set up an interview with professors Gowder or Kraemer, contact Shanice Harris at shanice.harris@northwestern.edu.

Nathan Walter is an associate professor in the School of Communication and founder of the Center of Media Psychology and Social Influence at Northwestern. His research focuses on correction of misinformation and the role of emotion and affect in social influence. Walter said the removal of TikTok could provide an unprecedented opportunity to study the negative impacts of social media.

Quote from Professor Walter:

“We’ve been arguing for 20 years about the real-world impact of social media, but we didn’t have the most crucial piece of evidence. The removal of the biggest actor, especially among adolescents, could provide invaluable information that may help dictate future policies. It’s akin to being able to gauge the health ramifications of removing the biggest e-cig brands from the U.S. market.”

To set up an interview with Professor Walter, contact Stephen Lewis at stephen.j.lewis@northwestern.edu.