President Donald Trump has issued yet another reprieve for TikTok’s enforcement. His new ambitious goal is a 90-day extension to hammer out a sale agreement with ByteDance, the app’s Chinese parent company. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the legality of the TikTok ban in their ruling during the month of January. Consequently, thousands of app stores and service providers pulled their support from TikTok within the United States.
First, President Trump, through an executive order signed in early April, delayed the ban by 75 days. This decision led to renewed speculation that the Administration would go further and force a TikTok divestiture. Our shared goal is to make sure American users can continue enjoying the platform without concern over where their data is stored. The current extension, which was set to expire June 19, is intended to allow for more time for these negotiations to occur.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, teased the administration’s commitment to saving TikTok for its 100 million American users. She added that it’s very important to protect user data as well.
“As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will last 90 days, which the Administration will spend working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure,” – Karoline Leavitt
The situation regarding TikTok escalated following the Supreme Court’s decision, which reinforced the government’s authority to impose restrictions on applications perceived as threats to national security. As a result, dozens of app stores dropped TikTok from their platforms, leaving millions of U.S. users in limbo. After Trump’s first EO in April, TikTok quickly bounced back into app stores. Users were able to download and go back into one of the most widely used applications.
President Trump should negotiate terms that further our security interests with every extension. He doesn’t want to ruin the very popular social media platform that a lot of Americans – including many lawmakers – love to use every day. His administration has kept open the possibility of allowing a successful agreement between ByteDance and American stakeholders, like investors or operating partners, to satisfy national security concerns.