President-elect Donald Trump urged technology companies to “not let TikTok go unavailable” and announced he would extend a deadline to sell the company.
“I will issue an Executive Order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can reach an agreement to protect our national security,” Trump said in a social media post. “The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok active before my order.”
Trump, who will be inaugurated at noon (2pm Brasília time) on Monday (20), said he would seek a joint venture in which new U.S.-based owners would purchase 50% of the company and “keep it in good hands and allow it to remain active.”
“Without US approval, there is no TikTok,” Trump continued. “With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars — perhaps trillions.”
The law banning the app, , requires technology companies that host or distribute TikTok in the US – such as Apple, Google and Oracle – to stop doing so on January 19. TikTok’s resources were unable to stop the measure, which was passed last year to address national security concerns.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,” TikTok said in an on-platform notification to users on Saturday night. “Unfortunately, this means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
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Trump’s team has been looking for a way to satisfy the legal requirement prohibiting hosting an “application controlled by a foreign adversary,” and the joint venture structure could satisfy both legal requirements and Chinese officials, who have so far preferred strongly that the company remains under the control of the parent company ByteDance.
Companies found to be in violation could face huge penalties determined by “multiplying $5,000 by the number of users,” according to the law. In a country where about half the population is on TikTok — the app claims to have 170 million monthly users in the U.S. — these fines can add up quickly.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” the TikTok notification continued. “Please stay tuned!” The note also directs users to a “learn more” page where they can download their TikTok data.
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Two Trump allies in the US Senate praised Apple, Google and Amazon for “abiding by the law” and encouraged other companies to do the same in a social media post. The statement from Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton and Senator Pete Ricketts also said there was “no legal basis for any type of ‘extension’” of the law’s effective date. It’s a rare divergence from Trump for the two Republican senators.
Removing the app from app stores would not have terminated the service immediately; users who had already downloaded it could continue to use it, but would not be able to install software updates. The application would have deteriorated over time until it became unusable.
By taking the platform offline all at once, and sooner than expected, TikTok has a chance to mobilize its massive user base in protest. It’s possible that users will demand action from political leaders like Trump to reverse the ban.
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ByteDance also notified US users that it was shutting down a number of other apps it operates in the country, including CapCut, Lemon8 and Lark, a Slack-like productivity app. ByteDance’s gaming subsidiary Moonton also shut down its two mobile games.
The law, signed last April by President Joe Biden, required ByteDance to sell its U.S. TikTok business to address national security concerns or face closure.
TikTok has already tried to use its popularity to change its destiny. The company asked TikTokers to call Congress to protest the bill and try to stop it from passing when it was first introduced. The strategy backfired at the time, fueling lawmakers’ fears about the app’s influence on US users.
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But given Trump’s recent endorsement of the app, it may be more effective this time.
Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first presidency due to national security concerns, has since cozied up to the social media platform, speculating that it helped him win over young voters during the election. Earlier this month, he made an unsuccessful attempt to pressure the Supreme Court to delay the law’s divestment deadline so he could negotiate a solution once in office.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew also spent time with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and is expected to attend his inauguration on Monday.
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Even before TikTok made the app unavailable, loyal creators were organizing online to pressure Trump to fulfill the promises he made on the campaign trail to be TikTok’s savior.
“This is a promise that Trump made and it is a promise that he used to get a large number of young people to vote for him,” TikTok influencer Tiffany Cianci told Bloomberg before the company’s recent appearance before the Supreme Court. “We are calling on him to comply immediately.”
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