The US Supreme Court has upheld a law ordering TikTok to be sold or face an imminent ban in the US, despite a bid by incoming president Donald Trump to “save” the massively popular Chinese-owned app.
The court’s decision means TikTok which has 170 million American users, will need to shut down on 19 January, unless its Chinese parent ByteDance can find a buyer.
But US media reports, citing an administration official, that outgoing president Joe Biden would not enforce any ban in his remaining days in office, have added to the uncertainty around the app’s fate.
Biden’s non-enforcement of the law could potentially allow Trump to enter the White House on Monday armed with an Executive Order to potentially save the app.
Trump had written to the court seeking to pause the law to allow his administration to “prevent a nationwide shutdown of TikTok” in the name of preserving freedom of speech rights for TikTok’s users, while also addressing the government’s national security concerns around the Chinese-owned app.
The uncertainty around TikTok’s future in the US reached fever pitch over the past few weeks, outraged its fans and users, and saw millions shift to another Chinese app RedNote (Xiaohongshu). So, what if it is in Mandarin, not English, we’ll just learn the language on Duolingo, an exodus suggested.
In a post on Friday on the Truth Social platform, Trump revealed that he had just spoken to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, discussing TikTok among other issues.
“It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects,” he wrote.
“President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”
Edited by Amitoj Singh and Tim Hume. If you have any tips, ideas or feedback, please get in touch: talk-to-us@moniify.com
