Unless the Joe Biden administration ensures it will not enforce the TikTok law, the app will be shut down in the US on January 19, the company said. In this way, it reacted to the Supreme Court's ruling allowing the platform to be banned.
“If the Biden administration does not immediately issue a final statement that satisfies the most critical service providers by ensuring there is no enforcement of the new law, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to shut down on January 19,” TikTok management wrote in a statement USA.
This is a reaction to the Supreme Court's decision issued on Friday upholding the constitutionality of the law forcing ByteDance to sell its platform to its Chinese owner or remove TikTok from the US.
The key decision is in Trump's hands
The law is scheduled to go into effect on Sunday, but the White House and the Department of Justice have suggested in statements that they will leave enforcement of the law to the new presidential administration. Donald Trump.
However, according to TikTok, these statements do not provide clear guarantees that app stores offering the platform will not be exposed to penalties.
Donald Trump, who previously promised to “save TikTok”, announced that he will make a decision about the future of the platform soon, but he needs more time. His national security adviser Mike Waltz announced that the president would use the option included in the bill to delay the entry into force of the law by 90 days to give time to sell TikTok to an entity outside the country. China.
ByteDance has consistently announced that it will not sell the platform and denies reports that the Chinese are considering selling it to Elon Musk, who has strong business ties with the PRC. Previously, other businessmen associated with Trump's entourage expressed their willingness to purchase the application, including Steven Mnuchin, candidate for the head of the Treasury Department.
TikTok banned in the US
In April last year Congress has passed a law forcing TikTok to get rid of Chinese control. It was then supported by the vast majority of congressmen from both parties. American services, including the FBI, have long warned about potential threats related to the Chinese platform, including: about the possibility of Beijing using it to surveil or blackmail Americans, as well as to disinformation and manipulate public opinion.
Critics pointed to the close ties of Chinese business with the communist authorities and the regulations that oblige companies in the PRC to cooperate with the Chinese services.
TikTok and its defenders argued that the bill violates free speech and violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. These arguments were unanimously rejected by the courts of all instances.
“The application will disappear immediately”
A lawyer representing TikTok, Noel Francisco, said earlier this week that it would be impossible to finalize the sale of the platform before next week's deadline.
The lawyer emphasized that if the ban on TikTok's operations in the US comes into force, the application will immediately disappear and “basically the platform will be closed.” He pointed out that 170 million Americans use TikTok every day.
Senator Edward Markey announced that he will submit a bill extending the deadline for selling the platform by an additional 270 days.
– Banning TikTok would have serious consequences for millions of Americans who use the app to stay connected and often to earn a living. We cannot allow this, he argued.
Concerns about TikTok
Members of Congress and U.S. administration officials have repeatedly expressed sharp criticism and concerns about the app, which is popular among young Americans. The services also warned against the platform, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, who stated that it posed a threat to national security.
He argued, among other things, that due to the virtually non-existent boundaries between business and authorities in the PRC, Chinese services may be able to obtain sensitive data about American users, manipulate the recommendation algorithm, which can be used to conduct influence operations, and potentially surveil devices which the application is installed.
TikTok does not agree with these accusations.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/ALLISON DINNER