TikTok says it will go dark on Sunday, January 19 if the Biden administration doesn't intervene.
The company has confirmed earlier reports that this will happen “Forced into darkness” on the 19th unless the outgoing administration provides a “definitive statement” assuring its “most critical service providers” that they will not be held liable for breaking the law. Those providers include Apple, Google, Amazon, and Oracle.
TikTok's statement is as follows Friday's Supreme Court decision It upheld a law banning the app unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells its ownership stake. Soon after the Supreme Court's decision, TikTok CEO Shaw Chew I liked it President-elect Donald Trump gave no hint in a video about what might happen if the law takes effect at midnight Saturday.
Unfortunately for TikTok, the White House has already made it clear that it wants to hand the app's fate over to Donald Trump, who has promised to save it and is scheduled to be sworn in on Monday, January 20.
“President Biden's position on TikTok has been clear for many months, including Congress sending a bill to the President's desk in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion: TikTok must remain available to Americans, but only through U.S. ownership or other ownership. Under which addresses identified national security concerns. In developing this legislation, Congress, “the White House said in a statement On Friday. “Given the stark facts of the moment, this administration believes that law enforcement action should be up to the next administration, which will take office on Monday.”
Meanwhile, the Justice Department – which is tasked with enforcing the TikTok ban by imposing a $5,000 per user fine on service providers with access to the app – has indicated it is still supporting the law going into effect.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “An authoritarian regime should not have unfettered access to the sensitive data of millions of Americans.” said on friday“The Court's decision confirms that this Act protects the national security of the United States in a manner consistent with the Constitution.”
You can read TikTok's full statement below:
The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Justice Department fail to provide needed clarity and assurances to service providers who are integral to maintaining the availability of TikTok for more than 170 million Americans.
Unless the Biden administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most important service providers assuring non-enforcement, TikTok will unfortunately be forced to go dark on January 19.