TikTok prepares to shut down their app in the US unless Biden makes assurances

Around the time of a US presidential inauguration, many changes typically occur, including the replacement of cabinet members and the redecorating of the Oval Office. This year, the social media landscape is also facing significant transformations. For instance, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg is shifting towards a model similar to Elon Musk's, utilizing a broader user base rather than paid fact-checkers to flag false content.

However, the real issue facing US social media users right now is the potential shutdown of TikTok. The US Congress previously passed a bill with an overwhelming majority to ban the Chinese-owned social media application from operating in the US, setting a lengthy implementation delay. The ban was originally scheduled to take effect on January 19th, approximately 32 hours before Donald Trump was sworn in as US President.

Donald Trump has made it clear in recent weeks that he will reconsider this ban. This shift in attitude is noteworthy given that he had previously sought to ban the app and transfer it to US ownership during his first presidential term. Meanwhile, the Joe Biden administration spearheaded the congressional hearings and legislation that labeled TikTok a national security risk.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew released a video welcoming the Trump administration's "commitment to work with us (TikTok) to find a solution to keep TikTok available in the United States." However, this commitment did not cover the period between the ban's effective date (around 4 pm Sunday afternoon Australian Eastern Daylight Time) and Trump's inauguration (midnight Tuesday Australian time), leaving open the possibility for any company to legally disregard the existing regulations.

An official from the Biden administration stated that "Americans should not expect TikTok to be suddenly banned on Sunday," adding that they are exploring how to implement the law without making TikTok unavailable to users. However, TikTok argues that this is not enough, releasing a statement that the Biden administration and the Department of Justice have failed to provide necessary clarity and assurances to key service providers to maintain TikTok’s availability to over 170 million US users. Unless the Biden administration provides an immediate clear statement guaranteeing the ban will not be enforced, TikTok will be forced to shut down on January 19th.

US TikTok users will be closely monitoring developments. It's worth noting that this will not affect Australian users, except for the possibility that US video creators they follow may no longer be visible to their Australian fans. Currently, there remains considerable uncertainty surrounding TikTok's future in the US.