Washington, January 21 (UITV) – US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order to postpone the ban on TikTok for 75 days. After Trump’s signature, the US ban on TikTok has been postponed for 75 days. This move indicates that the Trump administration is reconsidering its position on TikTok and is giving it an opportunity to clarify the situation for some more time instead of implementing it immediately. The order also mentions that Trump has instructed his Attorney General not to impose fines on app stores and service providers helping to run TikTok. Along with this, Trump also ensured that no legal action will be taken against these app stores and service providers and they will not have to face liability for any conduct.
This order of Trump marks a turning point in his administration’s policy regarding TikTok. TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, was seen as a national security threat in the US. The Trump administration had previously threatened to remove TikTok from the US market, alleging that the data collected by TikTok could be used by the Chinese government, threatening the security of American citizens. However, the order given on Monday highlights the possibility of avoiding an immediate ban on TikTok and continuing talks on its future.
However, many legal and political controversies have arisen over this order. Some experts and Republican leaders consider this move to be legally questionable. They say that this move gives priority to business interests instead of dealing with a serious threat to national security. Republican leaders, who are in favor of taking tough measures against China, believe that a Chinese company like TikTok can be a threat to America’s security and should be banned. In this context, Trump’s move became an important and controversial step in the decisions of the first day of his administration.
Meanwhile, on Monday, TikTok CEO Shu Chu attended Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, which was an interesting development. He was seated next to Tulsi Gabbard on the occasion, who was nominated to serve as the Director of National Intelligence. During this time, TikTok also held a party in Washington, making it clear that TikTok was actively trying to maintain its relationship with the US administration.
This entire development has created a new complication regarding the US judicial system and the future of TikTok. On Friday, the US Supreme Court gave a decision, in which the ‘sell or ban’ law was upheld, under which TikTok was threatened to be kicked out of the US market. Following this decision, TikTok shut down its service on Saturday, although this move was not mandatory. Then, on Sunday, Trump promised to give an order and after this TikTok resumed its service.
Trump had promised to save TikTok in this entire matter and in this regard he proposed a “joint venture” in which America could get 50 percent share of TikTok. On Monday, he reiterated this idea and said, “If I make this deal, America should get half of it.” This statement reflects Trump’s concern for his country’s security, as well as indicating that he is also looking at this dispute from a business perspective.
Trump’s order also directed the US Justice Department not to enforce laws that ban apps run by foreign adversaries. Former President Joe Biden signed this law in April and according to this, TikTok was to be banned in the US from January 19, unless it was sold to the US or one of its allies. Under this law, the President was given wide discretion on how to implement the ban, giving Trump flexibility in his administrative policy.
TikTok’s future in the US remains uncertain. It is not clear whether TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance will sell its app to a US buyer, especially when Trump has proposed a business deal for it. There are many legal and political complexities in this matter, which will depend on how the Trump administration takes this dispute.
Thus, this order of Trump raises many questions about the future of TikTok and also raises the question whether the future of apps like TikTok will be safe due to trade tensions between the US and China.
