Donald Trump declared that he would study the matter closely once he was sworn in on Monday, January 20, and that a “90-day postponement (would) probably be decreed.”
TikTok warned its American users on Saturday that its application was preparing to be offline the next day, with President-elect Donald Trump unable to intervene before he takes office on Monday. “We regret that a law banning TikTok takes effect on January 19 and requires us to make our service temporarily inaccessible», Wrote the social network to all those who connected, noted several users in the United States. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office», continues the text. “Stay tuned!»
Earlier Friday, the White House estimated that “law enforcement (should) return to the next government, which takes office on Monday», According to a statement from spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre. The American Department of Justice, for its part, made it known that the implementation of the text voted by Congress by a large majority in April 2024, forcing the Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok under penalty of ban, would be spread over time.
A “maneuver” by TikTok
These statements “failed to provide necessary clarification and assurance to internet providers that are crucial to preserving TikTok's availability to 170 million Americans», Estimated the platform. The law theoretically requires internet providers and application stores to block downloads and updates overnight from Saturday to Sunday from midnight.
The text makes application stores liable to a fine of up to $5,000 per user, or $850 billion based on the number of users. The law provides for the possibility for the president to suspend the entry into force for 90 days. Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok's latest statement a “maneuver.” “We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to act before the Trump administration takes office on Monday».
Trump will decide on Monday
Seized by TikTok as a last resort, the American Supreme Court unanimously refused on Friday to suspend the law. The nine senior judges considered that Congress's concerns “in matters of national security” were “well founded“. American elected officials had justified the passing of the law by the need to prevent the Chinese authorities from accessing the data of American users or from manipulating opinion in the United States.
But if the platform was the subject of frank hostility from many American elected officials a year ago, the tide has since turned and a political consensus has emerged in recent days, favorable to the preservation of TikTok.
-On Saturday, Donald Trump declared that he would study the matter closely once he was inaugurated on Monday, and that a “90 day postponement (would) probably be decreed». «If I decide, it will probably be Monday», Specified, during an interview with the NBC channel, the real estate developer, who had tried during his first mandate to have TikTok banned, in vain. Suspension is theoretically only possible if tangible elements make a sale credible. However, until now, ByteDance has always officially refused to sell its jewel, even if several investors have come forward.
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On Saturday, the artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Perplexity AI submitted a merger proposal to ByteDance with the American subsidiary of TikTok, a source close to the matter told AFP, confirming information from the CNBC channel. . The transaction proposed by Perplexity AI does not give an amount for TikTok, “but I don't see a deal happening at a valuation below $50 billion“, explained the source close to the matter.
Donald Trump brought up TikTok during a phone conversation Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. And the boss of the social network, Shou Chew, is one of the guests of honor for his inauguration ceremony on Monday. He thanked Donald Trump on Friday for “its commitment to working with us to find a solution that allows TikTok to remain available in the United States».
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