US President-elect Donald Trump has just announced his intention to give ByteDance an additional 90 days to complete its divestment from TikTok in the US to save this social network.
Mr. Trump is seen as TikTok's last hope in the US - Photo: REUTERS
According to Reuters, on January 18 (local time), US President-elect Donald Trump said he would "very likely" postpone the ban on social network TikTok for another 90 days after he took office at noon on January 20.
"Lifebuoy" for TikTok
In April 2024, the US government unanimously passed a law forcing ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to divest all of its social media operations in the US. The company is based in China and has long been a major security threat to Washington.
ByteDance’s deadline for divestment is January 19, and so far, the company has made no moves to move forward with a deal to transfer the social network. After unsuccessful appeals to US courts, TikTok faces an official ban in the coming hours.
Mr Trump, who built a sizable TikTok following during his presidential campaign, has called for a delay in the ban so he can negotiate a deal that would help the social network.
On January 18, Mr. Trump publicly revealed his immediate plan on NBC: "There will most likely be a 90-day extension, because that is appropriate. If I decide to do that, I will probably do it on January 20 (inauguration day)."
Mr. Trump’s statement has sparked hope for the community of more than 170 million TikTok users across the United States, equivalent to half the population of the country. Among them, many people have built their livelihoods thanks to this social network.
Mr Trump’s relationship with TikTok has improved significantly over the years. In 2020, he was the one who led the call to ban TikTok in the US. Now he is the social network’s last hope.
Understanding this, TikTok’s leadership has been reaching out to Trump. The social network’s CEO Shou Zi Chew visited him at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after Trump was elected president in November.
On November 20, Mr. Shou will also be at the White House to attend Mr. Trump's inauguration, demonstrating the increasingly warm relationship between the two sides.
TikTok announces service termination
A person holds a sign supporting TikTok outside the Supreme Court in Washington on January 10 - Photo: REUTERS
On the evening of January 18 (local time), TikTok began sending notifications to US users about temporarily suspending service starting January 19.
When opening this social network, American users will receive a message: "We regret that a law banning TikTok in the US will take effect on January 19 and force us to temporarily suspend service. We are working hard to restore operations in the US as soon as possible and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned for the results!".
Currently, users can still ignore this message and continue using TikTok as usual. However, it is expected that starting from 0:00 on January 19 (US time), distributing, maintaining and updating TikTok will become illegal.
The bill would impose a fine of $5,000 per user on any app store that continues to distribute the TikTok app, enough to make big companies like Google or Apple struggle.
TikTok in danger in the US, waiting for Mr. Trump to save itSource: https://tuoitre.vn/ong-trump-he-lo-phao-cuu-sinh-cho-tiktok-20250119101055862.htm
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