Trump hints at TikTok ban decision & says ‘everyone must respect Supreme Court ruling’ as fate of app left in his hands
PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has said he will review the TikTok ban after the Supreme Court upheld the congressional bill banning the platform in the United States.
The ban is set to go into effect on January 19, leaving the platform's future in the hands of the incoming Trump administration.
"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," The decision read.
"But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary."
President-elect Trump hinted that he will decide the platform's future after the congressional law was upheld.
"Congress have given me the decision, so I'll be making the decision."
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The law would not immediately remove TikTok from phones nationwide or force it to go dark.
However, tech companies that continue hosting the app or updating it in their app store could face penalties.
With over 100 million users in the United States, that could potentially be billions in federal penalties.
TikTok has signaled that it would shutdown US operations on Sunday, barring a last-minute resolution.
"Our position on this has been clear: TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership," a White House official told ABC News.
"Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement."
Nevertheless, if President Biden, or President-elect Trump, do not enforce the ban promptly, tech companies will still be affected as long as TikTok is owned by ByteDance.
A second content creator wept, "Is anyone else been crying on this app all night because it feels like we're losing a community."
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Another women shared a 13-second clip of herself wiping tears from her eyes as she captioned the video, "I feel a little silly crying over an app but tiktok has gotten me through some really hard times and lifted me even higher in the good times.
"It’s inspires my creativity, teaches me things, and connects me with a world of really funny, kind, admirable, weirdo strangers. I’ll miss it a lot. #ban."