Donald Trump said he will “probably” give a 90-day extension to TikTok to avoid its closure in the US
The elected president of the United States, donald trumpstated this Saturday that “very likely” he will give a extension of 90 days to TikTok to reach a deal that would allow the popular video-sharing platform to avoid a US ban.
“I think that would certainly be an option that we would look at. The 90-day extension will most likely be done because it is appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to study it carefully. It is a very big problem. If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”he stated in statements to the television network NBC, referring to the day of his presidential inauguration in Washington.
In any case, Trump indicated that he has not made a final decision regarding the deadline that falls on Sunday to that TikTok’s Chinese parent company will sell the platform to a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States.
A 90-day extension with specific conditions is provided for in the law approved last year and recently declared constitutional, but Trump could only order it on Monday, when he takes office, while the deadline expires on Sunday.
For its part, TikTok warned that it will go “black” on Sunday unless it receives “clarity and guarantees” about its legal situation. The White House described the Chinese company’s position as “a hoax.”
A law goes into effect Sunday that prohibits mobile app stores and internet hosting services from distributing TikTok to American users. Under the law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year, TikTok’s China-based parent company had nine months to sell the platform’s U.S. operations to an authorized buyer. The law allows the sitting president to grant an extension if the sale is ongoing.
TikTok’s popularity skyrocketed during the Covid-19 pandemic declared in 2020, as people enduring government-forced lockdowns in different countries relied heavily on the internet for fun and entertainment. In September 2021, TikTok announced that it had 1 billion monthly users worldwide.
Washington’s stated goal with this regulation is to reduce the risk of Beijing spying on or manipulating TikTok usersparticularly to the app’s 170 million American users. The company remains firm in its version that it has never shared user data with the Chinese regime.
Trump has signaled that he could intervene on TikTok’s behalf. However, the company has said that unless the outgoing Biden administration provides “definitive” assurances that the law will not be enforced, it will then be forced to “disappear.” The current US government left the matter in the hands of the incoming administration.
(With information from AFP, AP and EP)
