TikTok showdown: App faces US shutdown without Biden intervention
TikTok has announced that it will shut down its app in the US on January 19th if the Biden administration does not ensure the new law will not be enforced. This response follows the Supreme Court's decision.
"Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19," wrote the US management of TikTok in a statement.
The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law on Friday, which requires the Chinese company ByteDance to either sell TikTok or remove the app from the US. This law is set to take effect this coming Sunday. The White House and the Department of Justice have suggested in their statements that enforcement of the law will be left to the new administration of President Donald Trump.
TikTok emphasized in its statement that the current administration's statements do not offer clear guarantees that app stores offering the platform will not face penalties. Donald Trump, who previously promised to "put measures in place" to stop TikTok ban announced that he will soon decide regarding the platform's future but needs more time.
The sale of TikTok and Chinese control
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz stated that President Trump could choose to delay the implementation of the law by 90 days to allow time for the sale of TikTok to an entity outside of China. ByteDance has consistently stated that it will not sell the platform, simultaneously denying reports of a potential sale to Elon Musk.
In April of last year, Congress passed a law forcing TikTok to divest itself of Chinese control. This law was supported by a majority of congressmen from both parties. American agencies, including the FBI, have long warned of potential threats associated with the Chinese platform, including the possibility of surveillance and manipulation of public opinion by Beijing.
TikTok and its defenders argued that the law violates freedom of speech and breaches the First Amendment to the US Constitution. However, courts at all levels unanimously rejected these arguments. Critics of TikTok point to the close ties between Chinese businesses and communist authorities and regulations that require companies in China to cooperate with Chinese services.
