Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending the sale of TikTok, which (sale) had been decided by law of the previous administration.
The TikTok executive order was one of the first to be signed when Trump took office as the new US president, returning to the White House. The executive order instructed the attorney general not to take any action to enforce the law that would sell or shut down TikTok. Donald Trump is giving a 75-day extension to decide the future of TikTok in the US.
The new president said that during this time, it would be necessary to "determine the appropriate course of action in a way that protects national securitywhile avoiding the abrupt closure of a communications platform used by millions of Americans."
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When a reporter asked what the executive order in favor of TikTok was for, Donald Trump replied: “It just gave me the right to sell it or shut it down,” adding that he had not yet made a decision on what should ultimately be done.
Supporters of the ban, including the previous Biden administration, cite national security concerns. They argue that TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which could give the Chinese government data on American citizens.
It is worth noting that Donald Trump was also against TikTok during his previous term and had tried to ban it himself. Now, it seems he has changed his mind.
See also: TikTok returns to the US and thanks Donald Trump
However, Republicans in Congress did not change their position, and under a bipartisan law signed by Joe Biden last April, TikTok was ordered to sell its assets to a US-based company by January 19 of this year. Otherwise, it would have to stop operating in the country. Under the law, the deadline could be extended by 90 days if the sale was in progress.
ByteDance says it won't sell the app. The Chinese company has tried to explain that keeping TikTok in the US by selling off the app's features would be impossible because China would block the export of the algorithm. Doing so would result in a completely different service with a different algorithm.
The US Supreme Court heard many arguments on the issue throughout the month. However, the justices upheld the ban, despite criticism that it violated free speech. As a result, TikTok was shut down for a few hours over the weekend, but was restored after the new president intervened. The next day, Donald Trump signed an executive order giving TikTok 75 days to decide its future in the US.
The current situation with TikTok highlights the critical issue of national security when it comes to technology. In today’s interconnected world, data and information are constantly being shared across borders. This raises concerns for governments that want to protect the privacy and sensitive information of their citizens from potential threats.
See also: Complaints against TikTok, SHEIN, Temu for GDPR violation (also in Greece)
However, many American creators were disappointed with the TikTok ban. TikTok is a big part of their social and entertainment lives, so a ban would significantly impact their daily lives. In addition, the ban could lead to lost opportunities for influencers and content creators who use the platform to make money.
Source: www.theguardian.com
