With just days left before the U.S. “stripping or banning” law against TikTok takes effect, President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering issuing an executive order to temporarily suspend the law.
A pause — lasting 60 or 90 days — would give the Trump administration time to find a buyer for TikTok’s U.S. operations or find another solution, namely washington post Reported on Wednesday (January 15).
information It was reported on Tuesday that Byte bounceTikTok is preparing to shut down immediately in the United States on Sunday (January 19), the day the law takes effect. Trump’s inauguration is scheduled for the next day.
The ban was passed by a bipartisan majority in Congress and signed into law by the president Joe Biden Last year, TikTok was given an ultimatum: sell the app’s U.S. operations or face a ban from U.S. app stores and website hosting providers.
TikTok says it has 170 million US users.
The president-elect’s stance on the TikTok ban has completely reversed course over the past year. During his first term as president, Trump issued an executive order banning TikTok, which was challenged in court. After Trump left office, President Joe Biden rescinded the order.
However, joining TikTok during the 2024 presidential campaign and amassing 1 million Within a day, the former and future president softened his stance and repeatedly vowed to “save TikTok.” Trump is now surrounded by 14 million Followers on the platform.
Legal experts have questioned the Trump administration’s ability to delay or water down TikTok laws through executive orders.
Former Justice Department national security adviser and University of Minnesota law associate professor says executive order ‘is not a magic document’ Alan Rosenstein Tell postal.
“They’re just press releases with better stationery…TikTok will still be banned and it will still be illegal for Apple and Google to do business with them. But this would make the president’s intent not to enforce the law more formal.”
A core part of the divestment or ban law requires TikTok to be removed from the app store, effectively making Apple and Google the primary enforcers of the law. At a legal hearing last week, Supreme Court justices Brett Kavanaugh Suggesting that Apple and Google may not take the risk of not complying with the ban.
Observers say TikTok’s last-ditch effort to overturn the law in the Supreme Court is unlikely to succeed. Last year, a federal court rejected TikTok’s argument that the law violated the First Amendment (free speech) rights of U.S. TikTok users.
Speculation is rampant about potential buyers of TikTok as a shutdown looms. Bloomberg reported on Tuesday (Jan. 14) that Chinese officials were considering selling the app to X/twitter owner Musk. However, TikTok denied the claim and said the report was “pure fiction.”
There are also reports that Kevin O’Learycelebrity/businessman famous for participating in reality shows Shark TankIs working on a bid for TikTok with former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. A person “familiar with TikTok’s thinking” said O’Leary’s proposal was “impossible” and a “fairy tale.” postal reported.
“TikTok will still be banned, and it will still be illegal for Apple and Google to do business with them. But this would make the president’s intention not to enforce the law more formal.”
Alan Rosenstein, University of Minnesota Law School
Other ideas floated by Trump allies include reviving the “Texas Plan” postal reported. This is a reform plan proposed by TikTok a few years ago, which will give the United States the right to participate in TikTok’s programming and recruitment decisions, and have veto power. The Biden administration rejected the proposal, arguing it would not address the administration’s national security concerns.
There is also speculation that Trump may order his attorney general not to enforce the law. During the Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday (January 15), Trump’s attorney general nominee, Pam Bundywould not say whether she would enforce the TikTok ban, citing ongoing litigation over the law. USA Today reported.
this postal It has also been reported that some in Trump’s circle have suggested spinning off part of TikTok’s business and selling it to satisfy the law’s conditions, which means TikTok can avoid a ban if it conducts a “qualified divestiture,” a broad term for The president offered room for explanation.
Lawmakers in the United States and elsewhere have been raising concerns about TikTok’s national security implications as tensions between China and the West have grown, in part because of tariffs Trump imposed on Chinese goods during his first term. Like all businesses in China, China-based parent company ByteDance is required to cooperate with Chinese intelligence services.
Nonetheless, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew Data on U.S. users has long not been shared with the Chinese government.global music business
