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EDITION: JANUARY 21, 2025
RED: 001/NN24/I/2025

Trump Delays TikTok Ban Enforcement in the U.S. for 75 Days

Washington, D.C. – The 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, signed an executive action on Monday (Jan 20) directing the U.S. Department of Justice not to enforce the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a law previously passed by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden in April 2024.

The law required TikTok to cease operations in the U.S. starting January 19, 2025, unless its parent company, ByteDance, sold it to a buyer from the U.S. or an allied nation. However, with this executive action, the enforcement of the ban is postponed for 75 days, allowing the Trump administration time to reassess its impact on national security and foreign policy.

TikTok Resumes Operations After Brief Shutdown

TikTok briefly shut down its services for about 14 hours from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon in anticipation of the ban. However, following Trump’s announcement, the platform resumed operations on Sunday afternoon.

“The unfortunate timing of Section 2(a) of this Act—one day before I took office as the 47th President of the United States—interferes with my ability to assess the national security and foreign policy implications of the Act’s prohibitions before they take effect,” Trump stated in his executive action.

According to Trump, the delay provides his administration with “the opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans.”

Trump Changes Stance After Using TikTok

Trump told reporters that he changed his mind on TikTok after personally trying the app.

“I finally got to use TikTok, and I realized how popular it is among young people,” Trump said from the Oval Office on Monday. “If China is really getting information from these kids, to be honest, I think we have bigger problems than that.”

Despite postponing enforcement, Trump made it clear that he still holds the authority to decide the fate of TikTok, including potentially selling or shutting it down permanently.

“I have the right to either sell it or close it, and we’ll make that determination,” he added.

Ongoing Controversy Over Data Security and TikTok’s Ownership

Since Trump’s first presidency, TikTok has been at the center of U.S. political debates, especially regarding concerns that American user data could be accessed by the Chinese government. The Biden administration implemented the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act as a measure to counter this perceived threat.

However, with Trump’s latest policy shift, TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain. Several lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns that the delay might allow ByteDance to avoid complying with U.S. regulations.

Public and Expert Reactions

Trump’s decision has sparked mixed reactions. Supporters argue that TikTok has become an essential part of the U.S. digital ecosystem, especially for content creators and small businesses. Meanwhile, critics see it as a political maneuver that disregards national security risks.

Technology policy analysts in Washington say that the Trump administration now faces a major challenge in balancing national security concerns with digital freedom in an era of globalization.

(New-net24.com Editorial – January 21, 2025)