Summary
- TikTok’s fate hangs in the balance with US ban in less than 48 hours.
- Biden administration defers TikTok ban issue to incoming Trump administration.
- Trump may delay TikTok ban by 2-3 months; app could go dark temporarily.
The US TikTok ban is just a few days away, and the app’s fate is becoming all the more apparent. The US Supreme Court has ruled to uphold the law and the Biden administration was reportedly “exploring options” to keep the popular app alive temporarily, but now it seems it’s made up its mind.
According to ABC News, the Biden administration has decided it will leave the issue of the TikTok ban for the incoming Trump administration to deal with as it will not take any action to enforce the law on Sunday, giving the app an extra window of 36 hours before the ban so that it now officially takes effect when President-elect Trump takes office on January 20.
“Our position on this has been clear: TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership. Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement,” said a Biden White House official to ABC News in a statement.
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What happens to TikTok now?
The app could go dark, but not for long
President-elect Trump is reportedly considering an executive order to delay the US ban of TikTok by two to three months. The law doesn’t stipulate that TikTok must go offline on January 19. However, it requires that the app no longer be available for download in places like the App Store and Google Play Store.
It was reported earlier this week that TikTok plans to shut down the app for everyone and give users a pop-up message about the ban and an option to download their data. The incoming Trump administration seems keen on keeping the app up while addressing some US lawmakers’ concerns about the app, so it could be back relatively quickly.
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