RESTRICTed

Let's hope that this terrible future never happens! Don't let the RESTRICT act pass! This is a worst-case scenario, so it may or may not happen!

Timeline

Date	Event
Sometime in 2024	While proposed on March 7, 2023, the RESTRICT Act was passed in the United States of America. While passed in Montana (?), it didn't affect most of the United States. There were several eras of the Internet, 1st, there was the Shadow Era, which lasted from 1876-1994, the Experimental Era, which lasted from 1994-2004, the Classic Era, from 2004-2009, the Rage Era, from 2009-2013, 2013-2017 was the Dank Era, the Surreal Era was 2017-2020 and the Post-Irony era was 2020-The present day. This very day marked the end of the Post-Irony era and thus began the apocalypse that would consume the Internet. Welcome to the beginning of the end of the Internet.
January 1st, 2025	The RESTRICT Act is passed in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming.
Jaunuary 11th, 2025	The RESTRICT Act is passed in the Midwestern, Southwestern and Western United States. These include California, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio.
January 31st, 2025	The RESTRICT Act is passed in 42 out of 50 states. The only states that aren't affected at this time are Alaska, Hawaii, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
March 1st, 2025	All of the states had the RESTRICT Act passed in them. In this case, 96% of the states have banned TikTok, except for 2, Alaska and Hawaii.
May 2nd, 2025	The United States have decided to annex British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory. They did this in order to get to Alaska more easily. British Columbia has become "American Columbia and the Yukon Territory has become "Yukon". Alaska has banned TikTok.
January 31st, 2026	The only state that hasn't banned TikTok is Hawaii. Due to having a very different culture, Hawaii decided to split from the United States. The enemies of the United States according to the RESTRICT act are "(i) the People’s Republic of China, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region; (ii) the Republic of Cuba; (iii) the Islamic Republic of Iran; (iv) the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; (v) the Russian Federation; and (vi) the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under the regime of Nicolás Maduro Moros. But, the RESTRICT act is limited "To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to review and prohibit certain transactions between persons in the United States and foreign adversaries, and for other purposes." To quote the RESTRICT act itself, "This Act may be cited as the “Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act” or the “RESTRICT Act”. The act also needs the secretary to review desktop applications, mobile applications, gaming applications and so on. It is important to note that the bill does not say that the government has the authority to monitor an individual’s communication transactions. The things made by China that may be reviewed or banned that are significant are TikTok, ExpressVPN, Microsoft Bing, AliExpress and Wikipedia. Other banned applications may include Facebook, Airbnb, and NordVPN.
February 7th, 2026	Users who heavily relied on Facebook for social networking, communication, or accessing news and information scrambled to find alternative platforms or means to fulfill their needs which led to a temporary disruption and a shift in user behavior as they transitioned to other social media platforms or explore different ways of connecting online. The ban also disrupted the ability of businesses to reach and engage with their target audience effectively. Businesses that heavily rely on Facebook for customer acquisition and brand promotion needed to adjust their strategies and invest in alternative platforms or marketing channels. Facebook's absence created a void in the social media landscape. Competing platforms experienced an influx of new users and increased competition, leading to a potential reshaping of the industry. Other social media platforms needed to adapt and evolve to fill the gap that was left by Facebook's absence. Facebook's ban raised questions about the handling of user data and privacy concerns. Users felt more cautious about sharing personal information on alternative platforms, which led to increased scrutiny and demands for stronger data protection regulations. Facebook's ban had economic repercussions, as the company is a major employer and contributor to the U.S. economy. The ban led to layoffs, impact the digital advertising industry, and affected related businesses that rely on Facebook's ecosystem. The ban on Facebook fueled discussions and debates about the role of social media platforms, their influence, and the need for regulation. It prompted policymakers to reevaluate and propose new regulations to address concerns around data privacy, misinformation, and content moderation. Because of the ban on Tiktok, it prevented users from accessing the app. This led to disappointment and frustration among TikTok's American user community. With TikTok unavailable, users sought alternative platforms to fulfill their short-form video needs. Competing platforms, such as Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, saw an increase in user activity and content creation as people migrated to these alternatives. TikTok's ban could had economic implications. Content creators, influencers, and businesses that relied on TikTok for promotion and advertising needed to find alternative channels to reach their audience. Additionally, TikTok's ban affected the revenue that was generated by the platform itself, potentially impacting the companies and their employees. The primary reason for considering a ban on TikTok in the United States was related to concerns over data privacy and security. Some officials were worried about the potential for user data to be accessed or misused by the Chinese government, as TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. Banning TikTok alleviated these concerns to some extent. A ban on TikTok impacted diplomatic relations between the United States and China. It led to tensions or countermeasures from the Chinese government, affecting other industries or sectors. The TikTok ban created opportunities for other social media platforms to fill the void and innovate in the short-form video space. It spurred increased competition and the emergence of new platforms that catered to the needs and preferences of former TikTok users in the United States. The ban of NordVPN prevented users from accessing and using NordVPN, which disrupted their ability to protect their online activities. With NordVPN unavailable, users might sought alternative VPN services to fulfill their privacy and security needs. There are numerous other VPN providers in the market, and users switched to these alternatives to continue safeguarding their online connections. Banning NordVPN raised concerns related to online security and privacy. NordVPN is known for its encryption and anonymity features, and the ban impacted users who rely on it to protect their sensitive information from potential threats or surveillance. NordVPN is a company that provides VPN services, and a ban had economic implications for the company itself. It affected their revenue and operations, leading to changes in their business strategy. The ban created an opportunity for other VPN providers to fill the gap and innovate in the market. Competition increased, leading to the emergence of new VPN services or the enhancement of existing ones to cater to the needs of users that were affected by the ban. VPN services are often used to bypass government surveillance and censorship measures. Banning NordVPN was seen as an attempt to exert control over online activities and limit users' ability to access restricted content or communicate securely. Same effects happened after ExpressVPN got banned. With Microsoft Bing getting banned, it led to a significant shift in the search engine market. Users who relied on Bing for their search queries needed to switch to other search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo. Users who prefered Bing for their search needs were unable to access the search engine. This caused inconvenience and frustration among Bing's user base in the United States. Microsoft's search engine division was directly affected by the ban. They experienced a loss in revenue and market share, as well as disruptions in their advertising and search-related services. Banning Bing created an opportunity for other search engines to gain prominence and innovate in the search market. Competing search engines invested in improving their services, algorithms, and features to attract and retain Bing's former user base. Bing's ban had economic implications, particularly for businesses that relied on Bing for their online advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. They needed to adapt their marketing efforts to alternative search engines to maintain visibility and reach their target audience. Search engines play a significant role in providing access to information. The ban was perceived as an attempt to exert control over the flow of information, raising concerns about censorship and limiting users' access to specific content.
February 13th, 2032	It has been 8 years since the ban. The 1st Amendment was the antithesis of the RESTRICT act but the United States took the U.S Constitution that it was a part of and burned it. This created multiple riots and was where the beginning of the end of the United States of America as we know it really started.