<p>United States President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he plans to issue an executive order granting TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, more time to find an approved buyer before the popular video-sharing app faces a permanent ban in the US Trump made the announcement in a post on his Truth Social account, as millions of TikTok users in the US woke up to find they could no longer access the app.</p> <p>Apple and Google had removed TikTok from their digital stores to comply with a federal law requiring ByteDance to divest its US operations by Sunday. </p> <p>In his <a href="https://ift.tt/TxocQ3J>, Trump stated that his order would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” and “confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.” He added, “Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations.” </p> <p>The law, which was passed with bipartisan support in April and signed by US President Joe Biden, grants the sitting president authority to issue a 90-day extension if a viable sale is underway. While some investors expressed interest, ByteDance had previously declared it would not sell TikTok. Trump said he “would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” though it was unclear whether he was referring to the US government or an American company. </p> <p><br /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://ift.tt/Ysd7apK" width="720" /></p> <h3><strong>TikTok Ban Takes Effect, Users Caught Off Guard </strong></h3> <p>Millions of TikTok users in the US were unable to watch or post videos as of Saturday night. A pop-up message on the app informed users, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US Unfortunately that means you can’t use TikTok for now.” </p> <p>The service interruption came as a surprise, as experts had anticipated that existing users would continue to have access to videos until the app became unusable due to a lack of updates, news agency AP reported. TikTok had not been required to take down its platform, only to be removed from app stores. </p> <p>Apple confirmed that it had removed not only TikTok but also other ByteDance-owned apps such as CapCut, Hypic, and Lemon8 from its US app store. “Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates,” the company stated. While the apps remain on users’ devices, new downloads, in-app purchases, and subscriptions are no longer available. Apple also warned that future updates to iPhones and iPads might impact the apps’ performance. </p> <p> </p> <figure class="image"><img src="https://ift.tt/HMljpau" alt="Source: support.apple.com" width="720" /> <figcaption>Source: support.apple.com</figcaption> </figure> <h3><strong>US Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban </strong></h3> <p>On Friday, the US Supreme Court upheld the law, ruling unanimously that national security concerns regarding TikTok’s ties to China outweighed free speech arguments raised by the platform and its 170 million US users. </p> <p>Despite the US Supreme Court decision, the Biden administration indicated it would not enforce the ban before Trump takes office on Monday. During his first term, Trump had issued executive orders banning TikTok and the Chinese messaging app WeChat in 2020, but the courts had blocked those moves. While Trump opposed the latest ban when it was debated in Congress last year, he has since credited TikTok with helping him win young voters’ support in the 2024 presidential election, AP reported. </p> <p><strong>ALSO READ | <a href="https://ift.tt/NqI7kTK Trump's Inauguration: When And Where Will The Ceremony Be Held, Who All Are Attending — All Details</a></strong></p> <p>TikTok CEO Shou Chew acknowledged Trump’s stance, posting a video on Saturday thanking him for his commitment to keeping the app available in the US “We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform. One who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating more than 60 billion views of his content in the process,” Chew said. </p> <p>Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration with a prime seating location, as per AP. </p> <p>Following the ban, criticism emerged from within China. Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Chinese Communist Party-run newspaper Global Times, denounced the move on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. “TikTok’s announcement to halt services in America marks the darkest moment in the development of the internet,” Hu wrote. </p> <p>He further stated, “A country that claims to have the most freedom of speech has carried out the most brutal suppression of an internet application.” </p> <p>Although TikTok does not operate in China, ByteDance runs a separate platform, Douyin, which adheres to Beijing’s censorship rules. </p> <p>With Trump now set to issue an executive order delaying the ban, the future of TikTok in the US remains uncertain, with the possibility of a sale, a joint venture, or further legal challenges.</p>
from Donald Trump's Inauguration: When And Where Will The Ceremony Be Held, Who All Are Attending — All Details https://ift.tt/AvM3OZK
via IFTTT
from Donald Trump's Inauguration: When And Where Will The Ceremony Be Held, Who All Are Attending — All Details https://ift.tt/AvM3OZK
via IFTTT