In a surprising move, President Donald Trump has decided to keep TikTok active in the United States for an additional three months. The decision marks the third extension of the original deadline, which mandated Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its US operations. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the news, stating that the new Executive Order would be signed this week to secure the app's operation.
Originally, TikTok was expected to face a ban if a deal wasn't finalized by January, after Congress passed a law addressing concerns over the app potentially being exploited by China as a surveillance tool. The app, which boasts 170 million American users, has encountered regulatory scrutiny since last year as discussions of a sale intensified.
According to Leavitt, the 90-day extension is intended to finalize a sale deal, allowing American users to continue utilizing TikTok while ensuring their data remains secure. In previous comments, Trump indicated that obtaining approval from the Chinese government would likely be a necessary step, expressing confidence in reaching an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Despite the administration's efforts, various analysts have cast doubt on the prospect of an actual ban occurring. Kelsey Chickering, a principal analyst at Forrester, described the idea of a looming ban as increasingly improbable, especially since TikTok recently introduced new AI video tools at the Cannes festival.
Trump's previous unilateral extensions have led many to believe the ban may never be realized. Previously, in April, the Trump administration hinted that discussions between the US and China had brought them close to a deal that would place majority control of TikTok’s US operations in American hands. However, details regarding key issues that require resolution remain uncertain.
Potential buyers for TikTok include prominent figures such as cloud computing giant Oracle's co-founder Larry Ellison, celebrity entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and the highly popular YouTube creator Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast. The ongoing negotiations and interest from various parties indicate that the future of TikTok in the US remains a topic of high interest and speculation.
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