President Donald Trump suspends enforcement of laws calling for dismissal from Tiktok or dismissal from face bans in the United States.
US President Donald Trump has once again extended the deadline for owners of the popular video app Tiktok to sell to non-Chinese buyers or banned in the US.
An executive order, released Friday, announced it would extend the deadline by 75 days. Trump previously extended the January deadline in a law passed by the US Congress last year.
“My administration has worked very hard to save Tiktok. We have made great strides,” Trump posted on the Truth Social Networks he owns.
He added: “This transaction requires more work to ensure that all necessary approvals are signed.”
“We look forward to working with Tiktok and China to close the deal,” Trump said.
The 2024 law passed with bipartisan support, citing data harvesting and national security concerns required that the platform be sold from Chinese technology companies’ ordinances or banned in the US.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that national security concerns outweighed freedom of speech concerns and allowed the law to survive.
However, on his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order to suspend the ban.
The order said the delay would give the Trump administration the opportunity to “determine the right course in an orderly manner that protects national security, while avoiding the sudden closure of communications platforms used by millions of Americans.”
The Trump administration has since received a series of offers from US companies seeking to buy the platform, but has so far publicly argued that there are no plans to sell the app.
Reuters news agency reported that the administration is coaling plans to increase their interests and acquire the app’s US business by the deadline.
According to the report, it would involve creating a new US entity for Tiktok and diluting Chinese ownership to fall below the 20% threshold required by US law.
Tiktok, headquartered in Singapore and Los Angeles, says it prioritizes user safety, and China’s Foreign Ministry says it never asks businesses to “collect or provide data, information, or information” held overseas.
In response to Trump’s announcement, the ordinance confirmed it was in consultation with the US government, but warned that “important issues” remained to be resolved.
“The contract is not implemented,” the company said.
Meanwhile, several news outlets reported that Beijing had held freeze negotiations after Trump imposed mutual tariffs on Wednesday.
Trump will also raise the view of reducing China’s tariffs, reaching 54% on April 10, and promote deals with the ordinance.
Though Tiktok is not owned by the Chinese government and its leaders have denied influence, critics point to an increase in control over Beijing’s high-tech industry.
Approximately half of the US population uses Tiktok, making it one of the nation’s most popular social media platforms.
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