Social network was banned in the US due to national security concerns, but returned to operation after presidential decree
The President of the United States, (Republican Party)stated this Tuesday (21.jan.2025) that he would support the purchase of by the billionaire CEO of Tesla and owner of the X platform (formerly Twitter). The short video app had been in the US due to national security concerns, but resumed operation after a presidential decree.
“I would be [aberto] if he wanted to buy”, Trump told journalists, referring to Musk as a potential buyer of TikTok, according to information from . “I have already met with the big owners [do TikTok]. I think it would be interesting if someone bought and delivered half of it to the United States”, disse Trump.
WHY DOES IT MATTER
TikTok, used by around 170 million Americans, was from app stores on Sunday (19 January) due to a law that requires the Chinese company sell the platform’s US operations. Otherwise, the app would be banned.
The measure was motivated by warnings from US authorities about the risk of user data being shared with the Chinese government. TikTok, however, denies the accusations and claims that its data is stored on servers located in the USA and managed by Oracle, a North American data storage company.
Last week, the Bloomberg that Chinese authorities were evaluating the possibility of Musk acquiring TikTok in the US. However, ByteDance denied the existence of such negotiations.
UNDERSTAND THE CASE
On April 24, 2024, then-president Joe Biden (Democratic Party) demanding that ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, sell the platform’s operations in the United States by January 19, 2025. As the transaction was not completed within the stipulated deadline, the application was banned in the country.
The legislation was driven by suspicions that China was using TikTok to access data on American citizens and monitor them. ByteDance challenges the law, claiming it violates the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects freedom of expression.
The current president, Donald Trump (Republican), opposes the ban. On December 27, 2024, allowing its administration to pursue a “political resolution” just in case.
In the petition, Trump cited the expressing concerns about the risks of government censorship on social media. According to him, this could establish a “dangerous precedent” for freedom of expression.
CURRENT SITUATION
On Monday (January 20), Trump allowing the company to resolve legal issues to align with North American national security laws.
According to the decree, the US Department of Justice will not be able to take legal action or impose penalties against the company during this period. The deadline started on Sunday (19 January).
In the text, Trump justified that the 75-day postponement is necessary to evaluate, along with “heads of relevant departments”, the best solution to guarantee the country’s security and, at the same time, preserve the platform.
“With 170 million users in the United States, TikTok is an important tool for communication and entertainment. Our goal is to strike a balance between national security and platform continuity”, stated the president in the decree. Here is the full document at (PDF – 175 kB) e (PDF – 176 kB).
