Biden considering strategies to prevent TikTok ban – NBC
According to the outlet, the White House aims to prevent a shutdown of TikTok on the final day of the US president’s term. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
US President Joe Biden is looking for ways to keep TikTok operational in the United States as a federal law threatens to shut down the short-video app this Sunday, which marks his last day in office, according to NBC. The initiative against the app, which has 170 million daily users in the US, was supported by Biden and requires either the sale or shutdown of the popular platform.
The outgoing administration is now seeking to shift the responsibility onto President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn in on Monday, as reported by the outlet.
This strategy would represent a significant change from Biden’s earlier attempts to ban TikTok. Last year, he enacted legislation that mandated ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest its US operations by January 19, 2025. If this deadline is not met, TikTok would be removed from American app stores and lose access to essential infrastructure, effectively ceasing its operations in the country.
“Americans shouldn’t expect to see TikTok suddenly banned on Sunday,” an administration official stated, noting that lawmakers are “exploring options” to ensure TikTok remains functional.
The law also reportedly gives the president the power to issue a one-time 90-day extension if “significant progress” has been made toward divestment.
This legislation was put in place to address national security issues, with lawmakers expressing concerns that user data could be accessed by China or that Beijing might manipulate Americans by controlling TikTok’s content. The company has consistently denied these allegations as baseless.
TikTok and ByteDance have reportedly requested a delay in enforcing the law, claiming it infringes on the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which safeguards freedom of speech.
During recent oral arguments, US Supreme Court justices seemed doubtful about TikTok’s free speech claims. Chief Justice John Roberts highlighted a congressional finding that ByteDance is bound by Chinese laws requiring it to support intelligence-gathering efforts.
Lawmakers were “not saying TikTok has to stop,” NBC quoted Roberts as stating. “They’re saying China has to stop controlling TikTok.”
TikTok is reportedly preparing to “go dark” on Sunday, with sources telling Reuters that American users would receive a notification explaining the ban and offering an option to download their data.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump is also reportedly considering options to delay the ban, including an executive order that would extend the compliance deadline by 60 to 90 days, allowing for further negotiations.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
The outgoing administration is now seeking to shift the responsibility onto President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn in on Monday, as reported by the outlet.
This strategy would represent a significant change from Biden’s earlier attempts to ban TikTok. Last year, he enacted legislation that mandated ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest its US operations by January 19, 2025. If this deadline is not met, TikTok would be removed from American app stores and lose access to essential infrastructure, effectively ceasing its operations in the country.
“Americans shouldn’t expect to see TikTok suddenly banned on Sunday,” an administration official stated, noting that lawmakers are “exploring options” to ensure TikTok remains functional.
The law also reportedly gives the president the power to issue a one-time 90-day extension if “significant progress” has been made toward divestment.
This legislation was put in place to address national security issues, with lawmakers expressing concerns that user data could be accessed by China or that Beijing might manipulate Americans by controlling TikTok’s content. The company has consistently denied these allegations as baseless.
TikTok and ByteDance have reportedly requested a delay in enforcing the law, claiming it infringes on the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which safeguards freedom of speech.
During recent oral arguments, US Supreme Court justices seemed doubtful about TikTok’s free speech claims. Chief Justice John Roberts highlighted a congressional finding that ByteDance is bound by Chinese laws requiring it to support intelligence-gathering efforts.
Lawmakers were “not saying TikTok has to stop,” NBC quoted Roberts as stating. “They’re saying China has to stop controlling TikTok.”
TikTok is reportedly preparing to “go dark” on Sunday, with sources telling Reuters that American users would receive a notification explaining the ban and offering an option to download their data.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump is also reportedly considering options to delay the ban, including an executive order that would extend the compliance deadline by 60 to 90 days, allowing for further negotiations.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
