The drama surrounding TikTok’s forced divestment from Chinese parent company ByteDance continues with an eleventh-hour bill that would give the company more time to find a deal. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts introduced the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act on Monday, which if passed would grant the company 270 more days to divest or be forced to shut down in the U.S. The Verge earlier reported on the news.
Under a law issued by President Biden in April of this year, TikTok has been given a deadline of January 19th to find a new American owner. The company has heretofore been insistent that it has no interest in splitting from parent company ByteDance, though new reporting suggests that the Chinese government is contemplating a deal to sell TikTok to Elon Musk, which would somehow be worse than banning it outright. After spending $250 million to support Trump’s presidential run, it seems like Musk could get a monumental return on his investment. TikTok quickly denied the report.
TikTok is simultaneously continuing to fight for its survival through the courts, with the Supreme Court having heard oral arguments regarding the initial law last Friday. While TikTok—along with many of its creators—has argued that the ban would be a violation of the First Amendment, the justices seem skeptical. The government has argued that such a ban is necessary on national security grounds and not a violation of free speech rights because it is seeking to regulate a service, not the content created on that service.
In 2020, the gay hookup app Grindr was forced to divest from its Chinese parent company after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) determined the data could be used inappropriately to blackmail or intimidate American users. There is no evidence that TikTok data has been used improperly or that the company has tried to sway users’ views on any subject, another of the reasons the company has pushed back against a ban. TikTok has maintained that the Chinese government has no control over its operations, though the allegation that the Chinese government itself is contemplating a deal for TikTok undermines that thinking.
“TikTok has its problems,” said Sen. Markey on Monday, adding “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.” TikTok has more than 170 million monthly users in the United States.
In a case of strange bedfellows, President-elect Trump has entirely flipped from his first term when he attempted to shut down TikTok. He has since created an account on the app that has garnered over 14 million followers and now wants to stop the ban from going into place, at least until he has a chance to find a resolution himself. Trump has cautioned against banning TikTok, saying it would only make Meta more powerful, though it seems he is on good terms with CEO Mark Zuckerberg these days.
At the same time, users of TikTok have been hedging their bets by piling onto another Chinese short-form video app, RedNote, which makes the whole idea of banning TikTok in order to protect against Chinese influence seem futile. The people want TikTok and all of its short-form slop, like a pig at the trough.
Trending Products
![cimetech EasyTyping KF10 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo, [Silent Scissor Switch Keys][Labor-Saving Keys]Ultra Slim Wireless Computer Keyboard and Mouse, Easy Setup for PC/Laptop/Mac/Windows – Grey](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/415Vb6gl+PL._SS300_.jpg)
cimetech EasyTyping KF10 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo, [Silent Scissor Switch Keys][Labor-Saving Keys]Ultra Slim Wireless Computer Keyboard and Mouse, Easy Setup for PC/Laptop/Mac/Windows – Grey

AOC 22B2HM2 22″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) 100Hz LED Monitor, Adaptive Sync, VGA x1, HDMI x1, Flicker-Free, Low Blue Light, HDR Ready, VESA, Tilt Adjust, Earphone Out, Eco-Friendly

TopMate Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Ultra Slim Combo, 2.4G Silent Compact USB Mouse and Scissor Switch Keyboard Set with Cover, 2 AA and 2 AAA Batteries, for PC/Laptop/Windows/Mac – White

HP 2024 Laptop | 15.6″ FHD (1920×1080) Display | Core i3-1215U 6-Core Processor | 32GB RAM, 1.5TB SSD(1TB PCIe & P500 500GB External SSD) | Fingerprint Reader | Windows 11 Pro

Thermaltake View 200 TG ARGB Motherboard Sync ATX Tempered Glass Mid Tower Computer Case with 3x120mm Front ARGB Fan, CA-1X3-00M1WN-00

SAMSUNG FT45 Sequence 24-Inch FHD 1080p Laptop Monitor, 75Hz, IPS Panel, HDMI, DisplayPort, USB Hub, Peak Adjustable Stand, 3 Yr WRNTY (LF24T454FQNXGO),Black

Dell Inspiron 15 3520 15.6″ FHD Laptop, 16GB RAM,1TB SSD, Intel Core i3-1215U Processor(Beat i5-1135G7), SD Card Reader, WiFi, Bluetooth, Webcam, Win 11 Home, Alpacatec Accessories, Carbon Black
![Dell Inspiron 15 3000 3520 Business Laptop Computer[Windows 11 Pro], 15.6” FHD Touchscreen, 11th Gen Intel Quad-Core i5-1135G7, 16GB RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD, Numeric Keypad, Wi-Fi, Webcam, HDMI, Black](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51O3nNfyJPL._SS300_.jpg)