It could go down as one of the shortest-lived bans in tech history. Fourteen hours after TikTok “went dark” in the US, it was back online, hailing Donald Trump as the hero who had pledged to work with the company to keep it online.
That he was originally in favour of banning the app, citing national security concerns, has been conveniently glossed over. The Biden-era ban, which was the result of a bipartisan bill, took effect on January 19th, with the outgoing president saying he would leave the enforcement of the ban to the next administration.
Trump had last year come out against outlawing TikTok, warning the app’s users would “go crazy”. In fact, they barely had time to record their mock funerals before TikTok returned, buoyed by the fact that Trump said it would most likely grant a 90-day extension to the tech company.
The newly inaugurated president may not be acting strictly out of concern for TikTok’s audience. More likely it is a mixture of self-interest, an unwillingness to give up a platform that allowed him to reach an audience he may have failed to connect with. His previous conflict with Meta, which stood to benefit from TikTok’s ban, may also have coloured his view. Add in to that a major Republican donor – Jeff Yass – who owns a significant chunk of TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, and you can see why Trump may have changed his mind on banning the app.
That “warm spot” in his heart for the video sharing platform may be further stoked by the reality that TikTok would be indebted to him. That seems to be where the new president is happiest: with people owing him one, particularly when it comes to people with power and influence.
But the reprieve is just that: a temporary measure. Under the law, the 90-day extension would apply if there was a realistic plan to divest from its Chinese ownership.
The new president may have promised a deal to keep TikTok working in the US, but any attempt to circumvent the law passed by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court will surely end in a legal challenge.
Trump may find the limits of his influence tested in the not too distant future.
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