President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order giving TikTok a 75-day extension during which the United States will not enforce the law intended to force the app’s owner to sell the company.
The law, which President Joe Biden signed in April, requires TikTok’s owner, Chinese company ByteDance, to sell most of its stake so that TikTok can continue to operate in the United States. It went into effect on Sunday, but the Biden administration said it would not enforce the law. Now, Trump is continuing that approach.
“I hereby direct the Attorney General to take no action on behalf of the United States to enforce the Act for 75 days from the date of this order, to allow my Administration the opportunity to determine the appropriate course of action.” regarding TikTok,” the White House said in the order. “During this period, the Department of Justice will not take any action to enforce the Act or impose sanctions against any entity for any failure to comply with the Act, including to distribute, maintain or update (or permit the distribution, maintenance or update) of any application controlled by a foreign adversary as defined in the Act.”
The order temporarily halts the recent back-and-forth over the app’s accessibility. After the Supreme Court on Friday upheld the law behind the impending ban, TikTok voluntarily became unavailable to US customers on Saturday night. On Sunday, after Trump said he preferred the app remain operational to help broadcast his inauguration, TikTok resumed service and greeted American users with a message of thanks.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The order also specifically directs the Justice Department not to take action against any American company for helping TikTok get back online on Sunday. Those companies will also receive a letter from the attorney general saying they did not violate any laws and do not face any legal liability.
Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. TikTok is not currently available on either company’s app store.
Biden and the bipartisan members of Congress who passed the law warned that ByteDance’s close ties to the Chinese government made TikTok a propaganda threat and a possible avenue for Beijing’s spies to track Americans.
The extension does not nullify the law; the president has no such authority. TikTok must still find a US company to acquire an 80% stake or it will be banned by law.
Trump said on Truth Social that he wanted to find a deal for TikTok that would involve a 50/50 ownership split between ByteDance and the United States, although it is unclear whether Trump was referring to a US company and whether that deal would survive court challenges based on in the law. requirements.
Some investors and companies have said they are interested in acquiring the necessary stake in TikTok to keep it active in the United States, but China had given no indication that it would be open to a sale, at least until very recently.
On Monday, Mao Ning, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, indicated a willingness to allow ByteDance to sell at least part of the company, rather than have the country prohibit such a deal.
“As for business operations and acquisitions, we firmly believe that they should be decided according to market principles and left to the discretion of companies. If Chinese companies are involved, they should comply with China’s laws and regulations,” Mao said.
