Trump's team promises to keep TikTok from being banned
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TikTok app logo. The inbound Trump administration insists that TikTok will avoid a ban, but the long-term prospects of the social media app staying alive hinge on there being a deal for divestiture to a US company. TikTok owner ByteDance has until January 19 to divest its ownership of the U.S. elements of the app, or otherwise face it being banned from the country. The situation is precarious and messy to observers, due partly to timing complications.
While the ban technically comes into force on January 19, one day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, it seems that the incoming administration wants TikTok to survive. This despite the law enforcing the ban applying just before the team can do anything about it preemptively.
It appears that there could be a lot of activity taking place soon after the ban comes into force, to keep the prospect of a TikTok sale alive. "We will put measures in place to keep TikTok from going dark," said U.S. representative Mike Waltz to Fox News. One of those ways is an exception included in the law.
According to Reuters, Waltz explained that there is a provision within the law that allows for a 90-day extension to be applied if there is "significant progress" made to divest the app. In short, if there's a viable deal to be made, that could be enough to secure another 90 days.
