US President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to delay the enforcement of a federal ban on popular video-sharing app TikTok until he takes office. The move comes after the company’s app went dark for its 170 million US users, sparking concerns over national security and censorship.
TikTok stated that it is working to restore service, with President-elect Trump praising the company for its “strong stand for the First Amendment.” The company will work with President Trump on a long-term solution to keep TikTok in the United States. However, not everyone is optimistic about the plan.
Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated that there is no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of the ban’s effective date. Instead, companies could face “hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability” under the law, even if Trump’s Justice Department does not enforce it.
It remains unclear to what extent Trump’s remarks will give TikTok’s business partners sufficient protection to put the app back online. The app is still unavailable on Google and Apple’s app stores as of Sunday afternoon.
The ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in April, requiring ByteDance to sell the app or face a nationwide ban. President-elect Trump has repeatedly pledged to “save” TikTok from the law, which Biden signed in April.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/01/19/tiktok-trump-executive-order-ban