TikTok Set for U.S. Sunday Shutdown If No Biden "Definitive Statement"
· BCPosted in: Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: biden, bytedance, TikTok, trump
TikTok Set for U.S. Sunday Shutdown If No Biden "Definitive Statement"
In a statement tonight, TikTok says it's ready "to go dark" on Jan. 19th if President Joseph Biden doesn't offer a "definitive statement."
Published Fri, 17 Jan 2025 20:36:08 -0600
by Ray Flook
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The drama over what will or will not happen with TikTok continued playing out on Friday night. Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law that was passed by Congress and signed by President Joseph Biden (the Protecting Americans from Foreign Controlled Applications Act), giving ByteDance 90 days to divest from the app or see TikTok banned in the U.S. Those supporting the law argued that TikTok is a security risk to the U.S., serving as a pipeline of data for the Chinese government – while the company claimed that the law is a violation of its First Amendment rights. With me so far? Okay…
Though the move to block the app is set to begin this Sunday, it's been reported that President Biden isn't planning on enforcing the law when it does – meaning that what would happen next would be up to Donald Trump after he's sworn in on Monday, January 20th. Though he failed to force a sale of the app in 2020, Trump has warmed up to the idea of keeping TikTok around. In late December 2024, Trump asked the Supreme Court to put a stay on the law taking effect. After he's sworn in, Trump could ask the Justice Department not to enforce the law or possibly issue an Executive Order suspending the enforcement for 60 to 90 days. Earlier today, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew praised Trump for his efforts in looking for a solution – with Chew set to attend Trump's inauguration and TikTok reportedly sponsoring an inauguration event for the incoming POTUS.
So what's the problem? President Biden doesn't plan on enforcing the law, and Trump looks to be interested in keeping the app around, so Sunday, January 19th should be pretty uneventful, right? Not so fast because TikTok is saying in a statement that it still plans "to go dark" this Sunday unless President Biden "provides a definitive statement" confirming that the law will not be enforced this weekend. "The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed 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 reads. "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."
Here's a look at the statement that TikTok released on Friday night, followed by a video reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision from earlier today:
"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," the justices wrote in an unsigned opinion on their unanimous decision. "But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners' First Amendment rights." Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, while Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote an opinion concurring in the judgment.
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