Donald Trump will not be sworn in until January 20, but it seems that he has already managed to restore access to TikTok in the United States. After making its platform inaccessible, the social network has just announced, in a publication on X, that it is already in the process of restoring access to the service.
“We thank President Trump for providing necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties in providing TikTok to more than 170 million Americans and enabling more than 7 million small businesses to prosper”we also read in the press release.
The announcement that changed everything?
On his Truth social network, Donald Trump announced that, as of Monday, he will sign a decree that will postpone the ban on TikTok, to find an agreement that protects the national security of the United States. But that’s not all, since Trump indicates that the decree “will also confirm that there will be no liability for companies that helped prevent TikTok from disappearing before the executive order.” In other words, companies that allow TikTok to operate despite the ban coming into force on January 19 will not face sanctions.
For its part, the Biden administration had already indicated that it would not apply this ban, to let the new Trump administration manage the matter. However, TikTok indicated, in a press release, that this statement and that of the Department of Justice “failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to service providers who are integral to maintaining the availability of TikTok.”
What deal will Trump propose?
As mentioned above, the decree will only postpone the application of the ban. However, Donald Trump’s team will then have to find a solution that will allow TikTok to be accessible in the United States, while taking national security into account.
The idea mentioned by Trump, in his publication, is that TikTok becomes (only) partly an American company. “I would like the United States to have a 50% stake in a joint venture. In doing so, we will save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to grow. Without US approval, TikTok does not exist. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions,” he wrote.
By: TikTok Pte. Ltd.
