Trump has declared that he will not be extending the deadline for TikTok to sell its US operations by September 20, indicating that he will enforce his threatened ban. The growing social media giant has been identified as a national security threat due to a U.S. federal agency determining that it has ties to the Chinese government and performs a surveillance function for the Chinese state. Multiple U.S. companies have expressed interest in purchasing TikTok’s U.S. operations, including Microsoft, Oracle, and WalMart, but not Netflix; TikTok does not get to Netflix and chill.
TikTok is understandably angry and has taken to the courts to defend its right to operate. Its lawsuit has already been launched, though it will take a long time to sort out, certainly much longer than TikTok has on its hands before the deadline arrives in less than ten days. Some have questioned Trump’s resolve and some might have thought that backtracking on WeChat might signal that he would go easy on TikTok. However, statements in the last twenty-four hours indicate that he plans to fully implement and enforce the ban.
CNN quotes the president as saying, ‘”We’ll see what happens it’ll either be closed up or they’ll sell it.’” This indicates that Trump will follow through on a policy commitment, much to chagrin of avid TikTok users. It will be like the wall that Trump actually built. The methods through which Trump is likely to enact a ban include requiring Google and Apple to remove the application from their app stores. A removal from the app store will create a significant barrier for those attempting to access TikTok in contravention of the ban.
The Wall That Trump Is Actually Building: It’s Invisible
Is it inevitable? Unless there is a sale, yes, Trump will actually ban TikTok, creating even more pressure for an immediate sale. Without the ability to operate while Trump freezes their operations, ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, will likely need to accept a lower offer. The other option, which might be more appealing than accepting a lower offer under pressure will be to wait to resolve the uncertainty about who will become the next American president.
Sans a Trump defeat, TikTok’s best hope now will be an American suitor swooping in to save the day. Could it be Microsoft? Oracle? WalMart? Or, perhaps, someone that hasn’t entered the race yet? In the meantime, TikTok continues to operate, to fight hate, and to provide a healthy outlet for people around the world to cope with the ongoing global crisis.
