Trump announces executive order, proposes JV, TikTok restarts operations
TikTok, the video-sharing app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has resumed operations in the United States, following an announcement by the president-elect, Donald Trump, of “an executive order” tomorrow, the day of his inauguration, “to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” and “reach an agreement” that safeguards national security, Agenzia Nova reports.
“I am calling on companies to not let TikTok go dark!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth, assuring that “there will be no accountability for companies that helped keep TikTok from going dark” before the executive order. “Americans deserve to see our emotional inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” he added, referring to the platform’s large US user base. Trump also floated a possible solution: “I would like the United States to have a 50 percent ownership stake in a joint venture.” “Without US approval, there is no TikTok,” he stressed.
Previously, Trump, also on Truth, published a short post with the appeal “Save TikTok!”, while yesterday the president-elect, in an interview with the information channel “Nbc News”, anticipated that he would “very likely” grant TikTok a 90-day extension of the deadline imposed on ByteDance for the sale to a non-Chinese buyer, a deadline set for today, January 19. The possibility of the extension is foreseen in the law approved last year by Congress with a large consensus. The outgoing president, Joe Biden, left the decision to his successor.
Last night, less than two hours before the ban went into effect, TikTok went offline in the United States. Users attempting to use the app were met with the following message: “Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable. There is a law in the United States banning TikTok. Unfortunately, this means you cannot use TikTok at this time. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us to find a solution to bring TikTok back once he takes office. Stay tuned.”
On January 17th Supreme Court of the United States upheld a law passed by Congress to force ByteDance to exit TikTok or face a ban in the country. The judges sided with concerns expressed by Congress and the White House, in light of national security risks related to China's control of the platform. TikTok announced that it would cease operations unless there was "greater clarity" from the Biden administration and the Department of Justice.
In a message posted on the X platform, the company wrote that "the statements coming from the White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the assurances and clarity needed for the service providers that keep TikTok available to 170 million U.S. citizens."
Earlier Kazinform reported about an increase in interest in learning the Chinese language in the U.S. amid the potential TikTok Ban in the country.
As it was reported previously, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
