On his first day as US president, Donald Trump signed an order giving TikTok an additional 75 days to negotiate before a ban on the popular Chinese app takes effect. This is mandated by a law passed last year in the USA. TASR informs about it based on the report of the DPA agency.
Trump ordered the Justice Department not to enforce the ban for 75 days. This postponement allows time for negotiations. By law, the Chinese company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, had until Sunday (1/19) to sell its US division in order to remain available in the US. Otherwise, she was threatened with a ban. The reason is concerns about national security.
However, Trump expressed his belief that by extending the time for negotiations, an agreement could be reached that would benefit both sides. While signing the order at the White House, Trump proposed that the US acquire a 50% stake in TikTok. He called it a reasonable price to ensure the app’s continued access to the US market.
Without US approval, according to Trump, TikTok would be “worthless”. The president also said that he can either facilitate the sale of the app or ensure that it is shut down. He also downplayed the previous administration’s privacy concerns, saying there were “bigger issues” than China’s access to data on young TikTok users.
The law banning the app was passed precisely because of concerns that the Chinese government could use the vast data from TikTok to manipulate public opinion in the US. TikTok denies this claim.
