TikTok threatens to 'go dark' in eleventh-hour pressure on Biden
The app has announced it will cease operations on Sunday unless the current president can provide assurance to tech firms that he will refrain from enforcing the law.
TroibNews 
TikTok announced on Friday that the app will “go dark” on Sunday due to insufficient assurances from outgoing President Joe Biden regarding his plans for a scheduled ban.
“The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” TikTok expressed in an emailed statement Friday night.
The company urged Biden to promptly deliver “a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement.” If this does not happen, TikTok indicated it would be “forced to go dark on January 19.”
This plea came shortly after the Supreme Court upheld a law mandating TikTok to dissociate from its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban from U.S. app stores.
The White House press office did not respond immediately to an inquiry about whether Biden would entertain the request.
The law targets app stores rather than TikTok itself, imposing penalties if they continue to host the widely used video-sharing app beyond the Sunday deadline. TikTok’s demand encompassed all relevant companies that could be affected.
A White House official previously noted that Biden is unlikely to grant the app additional time in his final days in office. The president “does not have the statutory authority” to trigger a reprieve without “a credible plan from the company on how they will divest,” the official told PMG on Thursday.
Nevertheless, the administration later stated that the law would not be enforced during that period. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned that, considering the law’s timing, “actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration.”
The statement from the White House suggested that Biden intended for the timeframe leading up to Sunday to be free of penalties for app stores. However, confusion remained, as Jeffrey Fischer, an attorney representing a group of TikTok creators before the Supreme Court, also requested clarity from Biden.
“In light of the interests involved, we respectfully request that you direct the Justice Department to pause enforcement until there is further definitive guidance,” he stated in a Friday letter shared with PMG. “In addition, we request that you clarify that no app store, internet hosting service, or other provider faces any risk of enforcement or penalties with respect to TikTok, CapCut, or any other ByteDance apps.”
If TikTok and the creators succeed in obtaining clearer guidance from the White House, app stores might feel more secure in risking penalties and keeping TikTok available in the U.S.
In contrast, Trump responded to the court’s ruling on Friday by stating “everyone must respect” it, while also hinting he might take matters into his own hands. “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
“The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” TikTok expressed in an emailed statement Friday night.
The company urged Biden to promptly deliver “a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement.” If this does not happen, TikTok indicated it would be “forced to go dark on January 19.”
This plea came shortly after the Supreme Court upheld a law mandating TikTok to dissociate from its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban from U.S. app stores.
The White House press office did not respond immediately to an inquiry about whether Biden would entertain the request.
The law targets app stores rather than TikTok itself, imposing penalties if they continue to host the widely used video-sharing app beyond the Sunday deadline. TikTok’s demand encompassed all relevant companies that could be affected.
A White House official previously noted that Biden is unlikely to grant the app additional time in his final days in office. The president “does not have the statutory authority” to trigger a reprieve without “a credible plan from the company on how they will divest,” the official told PMG on Thursday.
Nevertheless, the administration later stated that the law would not be enforced during that period. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned that, considering the law’s timing, “actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration.”
The statement from the White House suggested that Biden intended for the timeframe leading up to Sunday to be free of penalties for app stores. However, confusion remained, as Jeffrey Fischer, an attorney representing a group of TikTok creators before the Supreme Court, also requested clarity from Biden.
“In light of the interests involved, we respectfully request that you direct the Justice Department to pause enforcement until there is further definitive guidance,” he stated in a Friday letter shared with PMG. “In addition, we request that you clarify that no app store, internet hosting service, or other provider faces any risk of enforcement or penalties with respect to TikTok, CapCut, or any other ByteDance apps.”
If TikTok and the creators succeed in obtaining clearer guidance from the White House, app stores might feel more secure in risking penalties and keeping TikTok available in the U.S.
In contrast, Trump responded to the court’s ruling on Friday by stating “everyone must respect” it, while also hinting he might take matters into his own hands. “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
