Last Sunday, TikTok declared it was reopening its video-sharing platform in the U.S., after a temporary halt the previous day. Robust assurances from President Trump, the upcoming U.S. leader, convinced the company and their service providers to revise their decision. This was a mutual agreement between TikTok, its service providers, and the President, promising no penalties aimed at them.
In this significant move, a multitude of 170 million American individuals and a considerable number of 7 million small American businesses have acquired the opportunity to grow with the services offered by TikTok. Trump’s administration conveyed their gratitude towards the President for providing the definitive and unwavering guidance required for this decision, ensuring the company’s thriving future.
This strategic move by TikTok, backed firmly by President Trump, reflects a robust affirmation of the First Amendment, standing up firmly against unnecessary censorship. Encouragingly, they have committed to maintain an open discourse with President Trump to explore a long-lasting solution that secures TikTok’s presence in the American market.
Timing their decision wisely, just hours before service suspension took effect across the U.S., Trump emphasized on the invaluable potential of TikTok, even hinting at leveraging the platform for live coverage of his inauguration slated for the next day. The executive order implemented on Monday will pave the path for an additional period for negotiations, ensuring our national security remains uncompromised.
U.S. users were greeted with the reinstatement of TikTok on Sunday afternoon, a return that occurred in waves. Initially, the platform became accessible through web browsers, allowing users to reconnect with the video-sharing service that had temporarily been out of bounds.
As soon as users logged in, they were met with a heartfelt message that thanked them for their unwavering support and patience during the brief hiatus. The company assured the users that the law, which was initially scheduled to kick off on Sunday, has received a 90-day extension, granted by the president, to ensure any necessary criteria are met before the ban takes effect.
Paradoxically, both Biden, the outgoing president, and Trump, the President-elect, had revealed contrasting views about TikTok before. President-elect Trump, previously advocating for the platform’s ban during his first term, now swings in support of the popular app, highlighting how a change in perspective towards digital platforms is evolving.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s approval of the law last Friday, the Biden Administration decided to delegate the responsibility of enforcing the ban to incoming President Trump, who has shown a keen interest in ensuring the video-sharing platform’s survival and full functionality in the United States.
As TikTok came back online, there were a few dissenting voices amongst Republicans who questioned the revival. There was an insistence from Senate Speaker Mike that this law would indeed be enforced promptly, with Trump ratifying a legitimate divestiture leading to the transformation of the app’s ownership structure.
Corroborating this stance, additional senators communicated that in the long run, for TikTok to maintain its operation in the U.S., it is essential that ByteDance agrees to a definitive sale which adheres to the law’s qualified-divestiture requisites. This will effectively sever any ties between TikTok and China, ensuring the sovereignty of U.S. data.
Still, TikTok’s future status in the U.S. remains somewhat hazy. Even though Trump has suggested an extension, there remain legal requirements for ByteDance to divest TikTok to a non-Chinese owner in the foreseeable future. The parent company thus far hasn’t displayed a strong inclination towards this.
A potential solution lies in create a joint venture, dealing with both parties’ interests by keeping the U.S. ownership at a decisive 50%. The established legislation, however, sets foreign ownership at a 20% cap which sorts up questions about whether ByteDance could go beyond this limit without a modification in the law.
The precedent-setting agreement brokered by President Trump undeniably stands as testimony to his agile policy-making prowess. Any misgivings about the agreement are dismissed by the pragmatic view that it lifts arbitrary censorship and offers a lifeline to millions of small businesses to flourish with the aid of TikTok’s platform.