TikTok’s future in the United States remains uncertain just days before Sunday, as the company has stated that the Biden administration must provide a “definitive” guarantee that a ban will not be enforced.
On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld a law that could effectively ban TikTok in the country if ByteDance, the app’s parent company, does not sell it. With a sale unlikely to occur in the two days before the law takes effect—and ByteDance repeatedly refusing to sell—it appears TikTok will be removed from app stores on Sunday, January 19.
Reports have also suggested the app could become entirely non-operational, as U.S. companies would be prohibited from providing services necessary for its distribution, maintenance, or updates.
It is worth noting that January 19 is just one day before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Trump had asked the Supreme Court to delay the ban to allow time to “negotiate a resolution to preserve the platform.”
Although the court did not grant the postponement, the Biden administration seemed inclined to leave the law’s enforcement to the incoming administration. On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that Biden’s position remains unchanged: “TikTok should remain available to Americans, but only under ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress.” She also noted that “actions to implement the law will simply fall under the responsibility of the next administration.”
Similarly, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco from the Department of Justice suggested that the next phase of enforcing and ensuring compliance with the law, once it takes effect on January 19, will be a process that unfolds over time.
However, TikTok expressed dissatisfaction in an official statement, arguing that these remarks do not provide the clarity needed for the company and its service providers to keep the app operational. According to TikTok, neither Biden nor the Department of Justice has offered sufficient guarantees to critical providers essential for maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million U.S. users.
TikTok warned: “Unless the Biden administration immediately provides a definitive statement to reassure key providers that enforcement measures will not be applied, we will unfortunately be forced to shut down on January 19.”
Following TikTok’s statement, Jean-Pierre dismissed it as a “publicity stunt,” adding that the administration sees no reason for TikTok or its partners to take any action in the days leading up to Monday, when the Trump administration assumes office.
This article has been updated to include additional comments from the White House, as well as reports suggesting that TikTok may shut down entirely in the U.S., not just be removed from app stores.
This is the message that is already appearing on all cell phones in the US
By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTechNews Director