Login
iscover
Share this article on:
Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
Powered by MOMENTUMMEDIA
The President-elect has thrown a lifeline to the just-banned social media app, talking up a split US-ownership deal.
Just days after a ban on the social media application TikTok came into effect in the United States, President-elect Donald J. Trump announced he would reverse the current US policy.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Trump said in a post on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.
“The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”
One of Trump’s concerns over the ban was viewership of his coming inauguration.
“Americans deserve to see our exciting inauguration on Monday,” Trump said, “as well as other events and conversations”.
Trump also suggested that a deal in which the US holds a 50 per cent stake in the company would keep it afloat and secure.
“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say [sic] up,” Trump said.
“Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions.”
The move is a reversal of Trump’s initial stance on TikTok during his first term when he wanted it banned over national security concerns. Now, however, he believes the platform was a key part of his success in winning his second presidential term.
TikTok – which went dark in the US over the weekend and is currently unavailable in US app stores – has thanked Trump for this support.
“As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US,” TikTok said in a message to its users after Trump said he was in favour of restoring the app in the US at a weekend rally.
According to reporting from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, while Beijing would far rather TikTok stay in Chinese hands, internal discussions have apparently floated at least one potential US buyer – Elon Musk.
Neither Musk nor the PRC has confirmed this, and ByteDance referred to the suggestion of Musk owning a stake in the company as “pure fiction”.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
Be the first to hear the latest developments in the cyber industry.
