Trump delays TikTok ban with new order, giving 75-day reprieve

Photo : Reuters

President Donald Trump has signed an order to delay the ban on TikTok for 75 days, giving the app and its business partners more time. The order stops the ban and protects companies working with TikTok from legal issues for now.

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The goal of the order is to find a solution that solves security problems while keeping the app available for 170 million people in the United States.

The TikTok ban was supposed to start on Sunday, making it illegal for US companies to support TikTok because it is owned by ByteDance, a company from China. Some people in the US were worried that TikTok could be used to spy on people or take their information for the Chinese government.

Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court agreed with these worries and said that TikTok might have to sell the app or shut down because of national security risks. The ban was supposed to start on January 19.

In response, big tech companies like Oracle and Akamai ended their deals with TikTok, and Google and Apple removed TikTok from their app stores. The app was unavailable for about 14 hours on Saturday night, which affected millions of users.

The delay came after Trump said he wanted to stop the ban and protect TikTok’s partners. The executive order he signed on Monday kept that promise.

Trump also said that there could be a “joint venture” with TikTok, though he didn’t give more details. He said any decision might need approval from China.

This pause gives the US government more time to figure out a way to solve the issue, which could include TikTok being sold to an American company. But there are still legal and political challenges.

If no solution is reached in the next 75 days, TikTok might be removed from app stores again, its services might be shut down, and its partners could face legal problems.

Right now, TikTok is still working in the US, but it’s unclear what will happen next. It’s still unknown if a deal can be made to fix security concerns and allow TikTok to stay.