TMTPOST -- TikTok warned on Friday the short video application will have to shut down its U.S. operation on Sunday unless the outgoing Biden administration assures non-enforcement of a pending ban.
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“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” TikTok said in a statement issued on Friday.
The social media platform claimed the possible shutdown resulted from the White House and the Department of Justice’s failure to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million Americans.
The statement was released as part of response to the latest ruling of the Supreme Court that dealed a blow to TikTok. The Supreme Court justices unanimously upheld the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (the “Act”) that forces TikTok to shutter its U.S. operation unless the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd. to divest the super popular short video platform by January 19, this Sunday.
For the court, U.S. Congress passed the Act and determined that divestiture is necessary to address its “well-supported national security concerns”, which became a deciding factor in how it weighed the case.
The Act imposes TikTok-specific prohibitions due to a foreign adversary’s control over the platform and make divestiture a prerequisite for the platform’s continued operation in the United States, while it does not target particular speech based upon its content, according to the justices.
In a video posted following the court ruling, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew vowed the company "will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives" for the years to come. Chew said the company its users "have been fighting to protect the constitutional right to free speech for the more than 170 million Americans" who use the popular platform every day.
Then he thanked U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's commitment to working with TikTok to find a solution that keeps the app available in the United States.
"We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform -- one who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating more than 60 billion views of his content in the process," Chew said.
The ruling effectively leads to a U.S. ban TikTok on Sunday if the incoming president Trump doesn’t take any action to save the social media platform. The Act, which went into effect in April 2024, gives ByteDance 270 days to divest its U.S. assets including TikTok, otherwise the Chinese tech giant would face a ban on its app being available in U.S. app stores or on U.S. web hosting services. It also grants the White House the authority to prolong this deadline by another 90 days if the president deems that progress has been made towards a sale.
Trump told CNN he will make his decision on TikTok after the Supreme Court announced its ruling. “It ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do,” Trump said. Asked if he would take measures to try and reverse the pending ban, Trump responded “Congress has given me the decision, so I’ll be making the decision.”
“The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation,” Trump said later Friday in a post on his Truth Social social media platform.
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