TikTok, Trump, and the Long-Term Progress of the Social Media App Tik Tok (Samsung Violations of the Fourth Amendment)
Until we hear more about any potential deal that actually could be used to delay the law as it’s written, it’s probably a good idea to keep your TikTok app updated just in case its listings disappear again.
He said the administration hopes to work together with China, who he thinks are not very happy about the 34 percent import taxes the Trump administration has imposed.
The Friday reprieve provides TikTok with a bit of breathing room in what has been a bumpy year. A federal law took effect in January that banned the service nationwide unless it split off from ByteDance, the Beijing tech giant that owns the viral video app.
Starting the evening of Jan. 18, just before the ban was planned to take effect, the app went dark for 14 hours. But it flickered back on the next day after Trump promised to sign an order delaying enforcement of the ban once he was sworn into office.
Legal experts say Trump’s delays do not halt the TikTok ban, meaning it is still technically illegal for TikTok to operate in the U.S. with ties to China. Yet moves by Trump and his administration assuring TikTok and its service providers that U.S. authorities will not prosecute anyone under the law have been enough for the popular app to stay online despite operating in violation of a federal statute.
In January, NPR reported that the White House was interested in having a group of investors purchase a stake in TikTok’s U.S. operation.
Likewise, securing the approval of the Chinese government has been a key sticking point this time around, with TikTok insiders telling NPR that any sale blessing from Beijing could hinge on China landing some kind of relief from tariffs.
The Verge of Trump: Enforcing a Proposed Supreme Court Order against a New First Amendment Amendment to the Small Business Clause
An editor following news across tech, culture, policy and entertainment. He was a news reporter for several years before joining The Verge.
After his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order telling the Attorney General and Department of Justice to “…take no action to enforce the Act or impose any penalties against any entity for any noncompliance with the Act.” But with the law still on the books after the Supreme Court declined to delay it and with the risk of billions of dollars in penalties, the app took nearly a month to return to US app stores before they were apparently satisfied by the AG’s assurances.
