The Chinese-owned app was temporarily unavailable for a few hours in the U.S. due to federal law. However, it went back online following an executive order from President Donald Trump.
He came, he saw, and he made TikTok available again in the U.S. President Donald Trump’s new term begins in a tumultuous way and presents challenges to his own laws.
Change of plans. In early January, the Supreme Court upheld the decision to ban TikTok in the U.S. On Sunday, Jan. 19, the law was enforced, making the platform inaccessible to users. However, just hours before being officially sworn in as president, Trump lifted the ban and restored access to TikTok in the country.
Extension. As soon as he took office, Trump made some notable decisions. One of them was issuing an executive order that granted TikTok a grace period and temporarily halted its potential ban in the U.S.
75 days. Trump’s executive order has postponed the enforcement of federal law mandating the ban on TikTok for 75 days. Initially, the extension was expected to last 90 days, which is the maximum allowed for federal law enforcement. This extension was contingent upon ByteDance announcing a sale to a company that’s not considered “a foreign adversary.” However, Trump disregarded those conditions and executed the extension.
Providers get the go-ahead. Additionally, the recent order instructs the Attorney General “not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way.” Trump also orders the Attorney General to “issue a letter to each provider stating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct that occurred.” In other words, providers may have temporary immunity, even though they could face penalties of up to $850 billion for any violations.
Nothing is certain. Congress passed the law banning TikTok, which was signed by former President Joe Biden and upheld by the Supreme Court. The government retains the authority to act on any violations for up to five years after they occur, and an executive order doesn’t prevent this. The companies providing services, such as Google, Apple, Oracle, and Akamai, are the ones most vulnerable to government retaliation.
What will happen next? On Sunday, Trump proposed creating a “joint venture” between the government and a private company to buy and manage TikTok in the U.S. However, it remains unclear how this would function. This may reflect the good relationship between Trump and X owner Elon Musk. He’s been rumored to be a potential buyer of TikTok, although the Chinese company denied the rumors, calling them “pure fiction.”
China seems more open to discussions. The Wall Street Journal reports that China seems willing to collaborate with Trump to keep TikTok operational in the U.S. China’s foreign minister said on Monday that companies can make their own decisions regarding operations and acquisitions, which contrasts with previous messages suggesting that a sale of TikTok was unlikely. Additionally, Zhang Yiming, the founder of TikTok and holder of a 21% stake in ByteDance, met with Musk in 2024, which may have led to new possibilities for the platform’s future.
Image | NARA
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