日本語
한국어
Tiếng Việt
简体中文
TikTok has narrowly avoided a looming shutdown after former President Trump, in a surprising move, granted the platform yet another extension. The popular short-form video app was slated to go dark on June 19th, but this new development provides a crucial lifeline.
According to reports, Trump indicated he’s likely to extend the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to finalize a sale of the app. Speaking to reporters, Trump expressed optimism that a deal would eventually be reached and receive the necessary approval from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This marks the third time Trump has postponed the deadline. The app faced a similar crisis in January before Trump took office, which resulted in a brief outage before the deadline was extended to April. This second extension, however, was set to expire imminently.
Trump’s stance on TikTok has evolved significantly. Initially advocating for a ban during his first term, he later acknowledged the app’s role in countering Meta’s social media dominance. His complex relationship with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, including a previous suspension from Meta platforms and subsequent legal disputes, has further complicated the situation. Notably, Meta agreed to a $25 million settlement with Trump regarding the suspension earlier this year.
The former President even credited TikTok with attracting younger voters to his campaign and extended an invitation to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to attend his inauguration, alongside other tech leaders such as Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai.
The initial ban on TikTok stemmed from legislation passed in 2024, signed into law by former President Joe Biden. The law mandates that ByteDance divest itself of TikTok; failure to comply would result in US cloud providers and app stores being forced to cease hosting the service, facing hefty fines. Despite the law, the Trump administration has assured these companies that they won’t be penalized during the extension period.
TikTok previously challenged the ban in the Supreme Court, but the court sided with the government’s argument regarding potential national security threats. US officials have long voiced concerns about the Chinese government potentially using TikTok for propaganda or gathering user data for blackmail purposes, although specific evidence has not been publicly disclosed.
Several potential buyers have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok, including a group led by billionaire Frank McCourt Jr., Microsoft, internet personality Mr. Beast, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. The future of TikTok remains uncertain, but this latest extension offers a temporary reprieve and keeps the possibility of a sale alive.