Now Tiktok’s fate is decided – again
On April 5, 75 days after Donald Trump took over as president of the United States, the issue of Tiktok’s ownership must be resolved. Otherwise, there will be shutdown. The 75 days deadline is not included in the law adopted in the country last country. But the first day at work, Trump signed a presidential order to give Tiktok’s ownership more time to find an American buyer.
However, such a thing, so far, has not emerged. Various companies, groupings and people have expressed an interest, including Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Walmart and Onlyfans founder Tim Stokely.
The background to the shutdown threat is Tiktok’s band to China. The company itself claims that there are no links to the Chinese state, especially for the version of Tiktok that is in the US market. But most reviews have for a long time pointed out that replacement dance in China can access data from American Tiktok users.
The fears culminated last fall when a law was adopted in the United States that forced the company to sell to US owners – or shut down.
Donald Trump himself has swung on the issue of Tiktok’s being in the US market. During his first term, he wanted to ban the app with reference to national security, and then try to get it sold.
In 2024, Trump shifted tone And instead promised to « save Tiktok », a strategy that is said to have given young voices according to himself.
Tiktok’s future has been linked to Trump’s customs war in the days. The president has previously said that he is willing to relieve the customs he introduced against Chinese goods if Bythadance agrees to the sale of operations in the United States.
« Maybe I give them a small customs reduction or something to get it done, » he said.
Exactly how a possible sale of TikTok would go, and what it would technically contain remains to be seen. Much of the sales speculation has revolved around Tiktok’s recommendation algorithm, which is seen as absolutely central to the app’s enormous popularity.
– Tiktok without its algorithm is like Harry Potter without his magic wand – simply not as powerful, says Kelsey Chickering at the analysis company Forrester to the BBC.
