TikTok ban: Trump and Biden administration in favor of postponement

The current, former and future US presidents, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, actually have little in common. However, both wanted to ban TikTok during their respective terms of office. Trump is doing an about-turn, Biden is keeping quiet, but his administration is also said to be working on plans to overturn the law.

The deadline for TikTok expires on Sunday. If no US citizen buys the service by then, it will be banned. Trump will then take office as US President again on Monday. He has now said that he is considering postponing the ban for 60 to 90 days. This was reported by the Washington Post. Trump had initially kept quiet for a long time about what he thought of the current move against the Chinese service. In his first term, he still said that TikTok was the enemy. That changed when Mark Zuckerberg blocked Trump on his platforms after the storming of the Capitol. After that, Trump said that the real enemy was Meta, threatened Zuckerberg with prison and claimed that Meta was doing what China demanded.

Trump is also trying to win the favor of young voters via TikTok. He does not want to cross them by being responsible for banning the service. In the USA, 170 million people use TikTok. In the event of a ban, this would probably not mean that the app would immediately disappear from smartphones. It would also be possible that it could simply no longer be downloaded from the app stores, meaning that updates could no longer be made available. Of course, TikTok itself could also potentially delete the app.

Biden administration to explore options

TikTok is classified by both parties as a threat to national security. This involves accusations that the Chinese government could access the data and intervene in social discourse in the USA using algorithms, for example. Bytedance, TikTok's parent company, disagrees and argues that the law violates the freedom of speech guaranteed in the US Constitution. There has not yet been a court ruling on this.

Now Joe Biden is stepping up to the plate. As the incumbent US President, he could grant a delay – if there are sales talks, for example. Elon Musk is one of a few potential buyers, but there are no official talks. However, Biden's administration is said to be working out plans to keep TikTok running even if the law takes effect on Sunday, reports NBC News. However, a White House spokesman said there would be no exception.

In his farewell address, Biden warned of the dangers posed by tech billionaires: “Today in America, an oligarchy of extreme wealth, extreme power and extreme influence is taking shape that literally threatens our entire democracy, our fundamental rights and freedoms, and a fair chance for everyone to get ahead.” He also spoke of an avalanche of misinformation that enables the abuse of power in the first place.

(emw)