"This is the villain we deserve" — Internet reacts to man in Atlanta deleting TikTok off people's phones

A video of a man in Atlanta deleting TikTok off people's phones went viral on X on January 27, 2025. For context, TikTok was banned in the US on January 18, but it went back online less than 12 hours after the ban. However, the app is still unavailable to download on Google and Apple app stores once deleted.

In the video posted on X by user @FearedBuck, a man is seen stopping people on the streets and asking them for their phones on the pretext of going to TikTok and searching for his account for them to follow.

Once he gets their phone, the man reveals that he plans to delete the social media app from people's phones. It is unclear whether the man carried out his threat or if the video was a prank.

Several netizens praised the man for his act, with one user tweeting:

"NGL this is the villain we deserve."

Many agreed with this sentiment, claiming he was the hero people needed.

"Bro that’s literally the hero we need, not the one we deserve dude's like "no more thirst traps for u, Karen, go touch grass"," one user posted.

"Brutal, but funny," another person added.

"That’s a hero. Saving young people’s minds," someone else commented.

"There's a HERO in Atlanta," another netizen said.

However, others were seemingly upset by the man's intentions. Here are some of their reactions.

"Ngl, bro needs a punch for doing s**t like this," one person tweeted.

"That's wild. sounds like a new level of villainy," another person added.

"Literal sc*m bag…. How can anyone think this is ok???" someone else questioned.

"This is something worth FIGHTING over," another user wrote.

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Microsoft is reportedly looking to purchase TikTok

According to BBC, US President Donald Trump recently addressed the claims that Microsoft is looking to purchase TikTok's US operations from its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd.

During a press conference aboard his Air Force One on January 27, a reporter asked Trump whether Microsoft is looking to make a deal to buy the social media platform, to which the president replied:

“I would say yes. A lot of interest in TikTok. There’s great interest in TikTok.”

Trump had previously wanted to ban the platform in the US in 2020, fearing that the Chinese were allegedly stealing and selling US citizens' data, despite the company denying the claims.

Following this, ByteDance approached Microsoft to barter a deal for the software company to oversee the US operations. However, the deal reportedly didn't go through.

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella had previously talked about the failed negotiation deal to purchase the US operations of the platform during an event in September 2021, calling it the "strangest thing I’ve ever sort of worked on."

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Former president Joe Biden banned TikTok in the US on January 18, 2025, after the parent company failed to divest the platform by the given deadline.

However, the platform was in operation within 12 hours, with a notification in the app thanking Trump for helping reinstate it in the US.

Following his inauguration on January 20, Trump signed an executive order to let the ban in effect for 75 days, writing:

"The unfortunate timing of section 2(a) of the Act (which implemented when the ban would take affect) − one day before I took office as the 47th President of the United States − interferes with my ability to assess the national security and foreign policy implications of the the Act's prohibitions before they take effect."

According to USA Today, the extension, which ends on April 5, will reportedly give Trump time to consult with his advisors to assess the alleged risks the social media platform poses to the country.

TikTok is still unavailable to download on Google and Apple app stores. It is unclear when the app will reappear in the stores.