Former President Donald Trump announced that he will keep extending the deadline for TikTok’s shutdown until a buyer is secured. This decision as the next deadline of September 17 approaches marks just one of several extensions ordered during his second term.
In fact, Trump has called the national security and privacy concerns associated with TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, “highly overrated.” Tarlov thinks these problems are overstated. I appreciated that he acknowledged what users care most about, which is data security. This fear has led to perhaps the most high-profile decision to consider banning the platform. According to recent surveys, 80% of Americans who support a TikTok ban cite data security as their main concern. This signals the increased recognition and urgency around data protection issues.
Even though no evidence has been shared with us, Congress has already passed a national ban on TikTok. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually affirmed that ruling. After this approval, TikTok temporarily stopped operations when the national ban first came into effect. On January 20, the very first day of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order. This was just the first of several extensions provided to TikTok.
That’s the view at least at one time from the White House, where officials believed they were near having a deal locked down. This arrangement would make TikTok a duopoly controlled by U.S. investors. Regrettably, this agreement collapsed when China pulled its support after Trump revealed his tariffs, adding all sorts of poison pills into the negotiations.
American public opinion on TikTok is still very much split down party lines. Recent polling indicates that the division is more pronounced now than it was two years ago, with many citizens uncertain about the best course of action regarding the platform. Trump is sure he’s found some American buyers for TikTok, and that’s all he needs. Yet he has shown a clear resolve to push back on the deadline as talks continue.
As a first step, he plans to lengthen the advance notice period until each intricacy of the sale is completely addressed. We’re glad his administration is committed to making sure any TikTok future is secure, private and, above all, American-owned. This occurs in the backdrop of continuing conversations around privacy and data security.
