TikTok said it plans to go offline on Sunday, January 19th unless the Biden administration intervenes.
The company confirmed previous reports. “I was forced to go dark.” The deadline expires on the 19th unless the outgoing government issues a “final statement” guaranteeing “the most essential service providers” that they will not be held accountable for breaking the law. These providers include Apple and Google, which jointly distribute TikTok through their app stores, and their hosting partners, such as Amazon and Oracle.
TikTok’s statement follows Friday’s Supreme Court ruling upholding a law banning the app unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells ownership. Immediately after the Supreme Court’s decision, TikTok CEO Hsu Chu appealed to President-elect Donald Trump in a video, but gave no indication of what would happen if the law took effect late Saturday night. Didn’t mention it.
Unfortunately for TikTok, the White House has already made it clear that it intends to leave the fate of the app in the hands of Donald Trump. Donald Trump has promised to save the app and will be sworn in as president on Monday, January 20th. playing cards said on friday He said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about “balancing trade, fentanyl, TikTok and many other topics.”
“President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months since Congress sent the bill to the president’s desk in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion. TikTok should remain available to Americans. “Congress cooperated in developing this legislation,” the White House said. Ta. stated in a statement on friday. “Given the sheer facts of timing, the current administration recognizes that action to implement this law should be left to the next administration, which takes office on Monday.”
Meanwhile, the Justice Department has tasked U.S. service providers with enforcing the TikTok ban by imposing fines of $5,000 for each user who accesses the app, but has indicated that the ban is still delayed. .
Attorney General Merrick Garland: “Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to sensitive data of millions of Americans” said on friday. “The court’s decision affirms that this law protects the national security of the United States in a manner consistent with the Constitution.”
As the ban deadline approached, politicians who voted for the ban began to reverse themselves, arguing that ByteDance should have more time to sell. According to new york timesSen. Chuck Schumer told President Biden that allowing the ban to take place would “damage his legacy.”
You can read TikTok’s full statement regarding the closure below.
The statement released today by President Biden and the Department of Justice fails to provide the clarity and assurances needed by essential service providers to make TikTok available to more than 170 million Americans.
Unfortunately, TikTok will be forced to cease service on January 19th unless the Biden administration immediately provides a final statement that satisfies the most important service providers that guarantee non-enforcement.