Biden urged to extend deadline for selling TikTok to avoid blocking social network
Biden has the option to extend the deadline by 90 days (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
On Monday, two Democratic lawmakers urged US President Joe Biden and Congress to extend the deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to sell its US assets related to TikTok. Currently, if the sale does not occur by January 19, the app faces a potential ban in the US, reports Reuters.
The agency notes that on Friday, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case where TikTok and ByteDance are challenging the law. The companies' lawyer, Noel Francisco, stated that completing the sales by next week's deadline would be impossible. He noted that if the app is banned, the short videos watched by 170 million Americans would disappear, and essentially, the platform will cease to exist in the US.
In this regard, Senator Edward Markey announced plans to introduce a bill that would extend the deadline for the sale or ban by an additional 270 days.
"A ban would dismantle a one-of-a-kind informational and cultural ecosystem, silencing millions in the process. A TikTok ban would impose serious consequences on millions of Americans who depend on the app for social connections and their economic livelihood. We cannot allow that to happen," he said.
On the same day, Representative Ro Khanna, also a Democrat, urged both President Biden and the incoming US president to suspend the ban, as this issue affects both freedom of speech and the financial aspects of Americans.
"To put a pause on this ban so 170 million Americans don't lose their free speech. Millions of Americans' livelihood will be ended if this ban takes place," said the dismantling.
Reuters reports that Biden may extend the deadline by 90 days if it is confirmed that ByteDance has made significant progress in the asset sale process. However, it is unlikely that the company will meet this standard.
Meanwhile, Trump reacted to the situation. He petitioned the court to delay the implementation of the law, stating that after taking office on January 20, he should have time to find a political solution to the issue.
If the court does not block the law by Sunday, new downloads of TikTok from app stores on smartphones will be banned. However, existing users will still be able to access the app for some time. Over time, the services will gradually degrade and eventually cease to function, as companies will be prohibited from providing support.
