Home Technology TikTok said it would go offline on Sunday unless Biden intervened.

TikTok said it would go offline on Sunday unless Biden intervened.

TikTok said it would go offline on Sunday unless Biden intervened.

TikTok said it plans to go offline on Sunday, January 19, unless the Biden administration intervenes.

The company confirmed previous reports that it would “be forced to go dark” on the 19th unless the outgoing administration provided “clear statements” to its “most important service providers” that they would not be held liable for violations of the law. These providers include Apple and Google, which together distribute TikTok through their app stores, and hosting partners including Amazon and Oracle.

TikTok’s statement follows a Supreme Court ruling Friday that upheld a law banning the app unless Chinese parent company ByteDance sells its ownership stake. Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling, TikTok CEO Shou Chew appealed to President-elect Donald Trump in a video, but gave no indication of what would happen when the law goes into effect at midnight on Saturday.

Unfortunately for TikTok, the White House has already made it clear that it intends to leave the fate of the app up to Donald Trump, who has pledged to save the app and is scheduled to be sworn in as president on Monday, January 20. Trump said Friday he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about “balancing trade, fentanyl, TikTok and many other topics.”

“President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months since Congress sent the bill to the president’s desk in an overwhelming and bipartisan manner. TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under U.S. ownership or other ownership that addresses identified national security concerns. “Congress is developing this law,” the White House said in a statement Friday. “Given the sheer fact of time, this administration recognizes that action to implement the law must be left to the next administration, which takes office on Monday.”

Meanwhile, the Justice Department, which is tasked with enforcing the TikTok ban by fining U.S. service providers $5,000 per user with access to the app, has signaled that the ban remains in place.

“Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to the sensitive data of millions of Americans,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday. “The court’s decision affirms that this law protects America’s national security in a manner consistent with the Constitution.”

As the ban deadline approaches, politicians who voted for it are beginning to flip out, arguing that ByteDance should be given more time to sell. According to new york timesSen. Chuck Schumer said allowing President Biden to impose a ban would “damage his legacy.”

You can read TikTok’s full explanation of the shutdown below.

The statement released today by the Biden White House and the Justice Department fails to provide the clarity and assurances needed for service providers essential to maintaining TikTok’s availability to more than 170 million Americans.

Unfortunately, TikTok will go dark on January 19th unless the Biden administration immediately provides a final statement to satisfy the most important service providers guaranteeing non-enforcement.

Exit mobile version