MOSCOW, Jan 16 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- US President-elect Donald Trump is considering using an executive order to prevent the TikTok app from being banned in the United States (US), The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter, according to Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
The order will reportedly suspend enforcement of the law, which requires TikTok to be either blocked or sold on Jan 19, for 60 to 90 days, giving Trump's administration time to negotiate a sale or find another solution.
However, from a legal perspective, this action is rather disputable, the report said.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration is also looking for ways to keep the app available in the US, NBC News reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.
The White House is reportedly seeking to apply the law banning TikTok in a way that would allow US users to access the app when the law goes into effect on Sunday.
Earlier this week, The Information news portal reported that TikTok was preparing to shut down its app for US users on Jan 19.
In April 2024, Biden signed a law forcing TikTok owner ByteDance to find an American owner for the app. If this does not happen by Jan 19, 2025, the app will be banned in the US. However, US President-elect Donald Trump has appealed to the US Supreme Court to delay the implementation of the ban so that he has time to resolve the dispute after his inauguration on January 20, according to a document obtained by RIA Novosti.
TikTok, launched in 2018, remains under scrutiny by US authorities, who fear the app may be sharing user data with the Chinese government or spreading propaganda. TikTok has consistently denied the allegations. The app has about 170 million users in the US alone.
-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
