The future of TikTok in the United States has been a topic of significant debate, especially in light of national security issues surrounding its Chinese ownership.
Legislative actions requiring TikTok’s parent firm, ByteDance, to sell off its US business created uncertainty for the company’s activities throughout Trump’s first term in office.
Recent events, however, point to a change in policy, as President-elect Trump has suggested saving the well-known social media app and allowing it to continue running in the US after it shut down for a day last week.
TikTok Ban in US
Due to national security concerns, TikTok, which has over 170 million users in America, was banned in the nation. ByteDance, its parent business, was forced by a federal statute to sever its connections with US activities. The corporation was given a deadline of January 19 by the law.
The program is essentially prohibited in the nation until ByteDance sells the US operations or permanently closes it down because the courts, including the Supreme Court, declined to invalidate the statute.
Millions of TikTok users in the US woke up on January 19 to find that they were no longer able to access the platform or app.
A pop-up message informed users who opened the TikTok app, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now”. According to the federal law, Google and Apple both took the software down from their online storefronts.
Change in Trump’s perspective?
Following his inauguration on Monday, US President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would sign an executive order to allow TikTok’s parent firm, located in China, additional time to negotiate a deal after the app stopped functioning for US users.
The Republican leader promised to postpone the implementation of the law’s prohibitions. On his Truth Social platform, he posted, “I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture”.
US users were able to access TikTok again shortly after Trump’s statement. It publicly congratulated Trump as well. The app informed its users, “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US”.
Trump’s decision to save TikTok is a change from his first time in office. He sought to prohibit the app in 2020 due to worries that the firm was giving the Chinese government access to the personal data of Americans.
In a more recent statement, the US president-elect claimed to have “a warm spot” in his heart for TikTok and attributed his success in winning over young voters in the 2024 presidential election to the app.
According to AP, Trump’s staff has been looking for a means to get around the law that forbids hosting a “foreign adversary-controlled application.”
Read Also: Atul Subhash Suicide: SC Grants Custody of Subhash’s Son To Estranged Wife
