Trump extends delay on US TikTok ban until mid-December
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Mr Donald Trump earlier said Washington and Beijing had reached a deal over a new ownership structure for TikTok's US business.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- Trump extended the TikTok ban delay to Dec 16, the fourth postponement related to its sale from ByteDance, despite claiming a US-China deal.
- He stated a deal was reached with China, involving major companies buying TikTok, pending confirmation with President Xi Jinping.
- The US Justice Department is prohibited from enforcing the ban retroactively, addressing national security concerns over TikTok's data and content.
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WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Sept 16 extended a delay on enforcing a ban against TikTok until Dec 16, marking the fourth postponement of a law designed to force the app’s sale from its Chinese owner.
The announcement, made through an executive order, came despite Mr Trump telling reporters on Sept 16 that Washington and Beijing had reached a deal
The extension builds on previous delays issued in January, April and June as the administration navigates the complex legal and national security implications surrounding TikTok’s operations in the US.
The latest delay was set to expire on Sept 17, which would have enabled a law signed in 2024 by then President Joe Biden to force the closure of TikTok in the US because of its Chinese ownership.
The legislation was designed to address national security concerns over TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance and its potential ties to the Chinese government.
But Mr Trump, whose 2024 election campaign relied heavily on social media and who has said he is fond of TikTok, put the ban on pause.
The app has faced scrutiny from US officials who worry about data collection and content manipulation. TikTok has repeatedly denied sharing user data with the Chinese authorities and has challenged various restrictions in federal court.
“We have a deal on TikTok, I’ve reached a deal with China, I’m going to speak to President Xi (Jinping) on Friday to confirm everything up,” Mr Trump told reporters on Sept 16, as he left the White House for a state visit to Britain.
“We have a group of very big companies that want to buy it,” Mr Trump said, adding that he would “hate to see value like that thrown out the window”.
China also confirmed what both sides on Sept 15 called the “framework” of a deal
TikTok boasts almost two billion global users.
According to The Wall Street Journal, under the new arrangement, TikTok’s US business would be controlled by an investor consortium including cloud giant Oracle and venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz, with the Chinese owners keeping less than 20 per cent of the US business, in accordance with the law.
Both companies have close ties to the Trump White House and Oracle already plays a major role in TikTok’s US infrastructure.
Parent company ByteDance’s existing US investors, including Susquehanna International Group, KKR and General Atlantic, would be part of the group owning roughly 80 per cent of the new company.
One of the major questions is the fate of TikTok’s powerful algorithm
The preliminary deal was negotiated over two days of talks in Madrid between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng.
Under the order, the US Justice Department is prohibited from taking enforcement action not only during the extended period but also retroactively for any conduct that occurred since the ban was originally to come into force on Jan 19, 2025 – the day before Mr Trump’s inauguration. AFP
