Social Media
This is how Trump winning the election might affect the TikTok ban in the US
A law signed by President Biden in spring will ban the distribution of TikTok in the U.S. if ByteDance doesn’t sell the social media app by Jan. 19, 2025.
Social media giant TikTok has been under pressure in the U.S. since Congress approved and President Joe Biden signed a law earlier this year requiring the app’s parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, to sell the platform.
If the sale does not push through by Jan. 19, 2025, the app will be banned from the country.
Supporters of the legislation argue that TikTok presents a national security threat, expressing worries about the potential for the Chinese government to use the platform to spy on Americans.
TikTok executives and users for their part say banning the app is a violation of the First Amendment.
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This is how Trump winning the election might affect the TikTok ban in the US
TikTok has asked the Supreme Court to freeze the law that requires the company to be sold to a new, non-Chinese owner. If the high court does not take action on the appeal, the ban will be enforced a day before Donald Trump’s inauguration into the White House.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew has met with Trump at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, according to CNN. The meeting is one in a series the president-elect is holding with top executives of some of the country’s largest tech companies.
Under the bill that involves TikTok, the president may grant a one-time extension of the Jan.19 deadline.
During Trump’s first term, he signed an executive order to ban the social media app for the same security concerns cited by the recent law.
Trump’s latest statements suggest he may now handle the TikTok situation differently, though he has not given concrete details on how he would approach the platform’s fate.
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During his first press conference since the November election, he said he believes the app played a part in his victory.
“I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points and there are those that say that TikTok has something to do with it,” he said.
Despite Trump’s claim, election data and exit polls have indicated that Vice President Kamala Harris won the youth vote.
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