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TikTok says it plans to go offline on Sunday, January 19 if the Biden administration does not intervene.
The company confirms previous reports that this will be the case “Forced into darkness” On the 19th unless the outgoing administration makes a “final statement” assuring “the most critical service providers” that they will not be held liable for breaking the law. These providers include Apple and Google, which together distribute TikTok through their app stores, and hosting partners, including Amazon and Oracle.
TikTok’s statement follows Supreme Court ruling on Friday Which upheld the law banning the app unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests its ownership stake. Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling, TikTok CEO Xu Qiu appealed President-elect Donald Trump appeared in a video but gave no indication of what might happen when the law goes into effect at midnight on Saturday.
Unfortunately for TikTok, the White House has already made that clear They intend to bet Destiny app for donald trump who He promised to protect it He is scheduled to be sworn in as president on Monday, January 20. Trump He said on Friday And that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about “balancing trade, fentanyl, TikTok, and many other topics.”
“President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner to the president’s desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under U.S. or other ownership that addresses identified national security concerns.” “. By Congress in developing this law,” the White House said He said in a statement Friday. He added: “Given the reality of the timing, this administration realizes that measures to implement the law must fall to the next administration, which will take office on Monday.”
Meanwhile, the Justice Department, tasked with enforcing the TikTok ban by fining US providers $5,000 for each user with access to the app, has indicated it is still behind the ban.
“Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to the sensitive data of millions of Americans,” Attorney General Merrick Garland He said on Friday. “The Court’s decision affirms that this law protects the national security of the United States in a manner consistent with the Constitution.”
As the deadline for the ban approaches, politicians who voted for it are starting to flip-flop by saying that ByteDance Should have more time to filter. according to New York TimesSenator Chuck Schumer told President Biden that allowing the ban to happen would “harm his legacy.”
You can read TikTok’s full statement about the closure below:
Statements released today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice fail to provide necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers who are integral to maintaining TikTok availability for more than 170 million Americans.
Unless the Biden administration immediately makes a final statement to satisfy the most critical service providers to ensure non-implementation, TikTok will unfortunately be forced to cease operations on January 19.
