America flinches as TikTok prepares to 'go dark' - will Trump save the day?
Share:
If you think TikTok is messing with the heads of young people, consider what it's been doing to America's most powerful adults. Last March, Congress voted overwhelmingly to ban the app on American soil unless a US buyer was found. Despite claims or speculation that anyone from Elon Musk to MrBeast might be buyers, a deal has yet to emerge, with TikTok maintaining it's not for sale.
Read more: TikTok to be banned in the US from Sunday, Supreme Court rules. Now, the US Supreme Court has dismissed legal challenges against the ban by the company and its users that said the new law would violate US free speech laws. As things currently stand, the ban will take effect on January 19th, with TikTok saying the app will "go dark" in the US on Sunday.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. But will it?. Outgoing US President Joe Biden and his successor Donald Trump, who both originally backed the ban, are siding against it. Mr Biden has said he will not allow prosecutions for violations of the ban during his last 36 hours in office.
Mr Trump has indicated he will use an executive order to effectively suspend the ban until a US buyer is found. You can almost hear the chuckles in the corridors of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Though owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company, TikTok has never been available in China.
