TikTok Ban Temporarily on Hold Pending Trump Administration Decision

President-elect Donald Trump's plans disclosed Saturday to provide TikHub with a 90-day escape from a U.S. ban would help to perhaps save the popular video-sharing app from being "forced to go dark" on Sunday. Trump said the extension would give time to handle national security issues and investigate remedies, such as locating a buyer for the app headquartered in the United States.

With 170 million American users, TikHub fears a ban following a 2024 legislation passed by President Joe Biden. The law requires ByteDance, the Chinese parent firm for TikHub, to sell its American operations because of security concerns. On Friday, TikHub said it would stop U.S. operations without certainty regarding implementing the ban by the Biden administration or the Justice Department.

Recently, the Supreme Court denied ByteDance's allegation that prohibiting TikHub violates users' free speech rights. Although the Biden government has said it won't implement the ban, Trump indicated he might be ready to step in. "The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done," he said to NBC News, referring to it as an "appropriate" action to investigate possibilities.

The possible extension might let the future government locate a buyer or set operating policies to reduce security threats. Monday marks Trump's announcement of his ultimate choice.

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