Trump doubles down on TikTok ban, refuses to extend deadline as September 15 looms closer

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As I’m sure you are aware by now, Donald Trump filed an executive order to have TikTok banned from the US for “security concerns,” and definitely not because children trolled his Tulsa rally. The only thing, at this point, that can keep TikTok in the US is if a US buyer steps in.

Microsoft, Oracle, and Walmart have all shown interest, but with the September 15 deadline approaching quickly, no company has actually made a commitment. Now, Trump, when asked recently about extending the deadline, has made it clear that no extension will be granted. In a statement yesterday, Trump states, “We’ll see what happens. It’ll either be closed up or they’ll sell it. So we’ll either close up TikTok in this country for security reasons, or it’ll be sold.”

READ MORE: FCC commissioner urges Apple and Google to ban TikTok

TikTok, and its parent company ByteDance, are not taking this lying down, and have sued the Trump administration over what it believes is an unwarranted ban. In an open letter, TikTok claims the administration has “ignored the great lengths that TikTok has gone to in order to demonstrate our commitment to serving the US market.” TikTok also claims that the executive order violates the due process protections of the Fifth Amendment.

So, why hasn’t any company pulled the metaphorical trigger? The Wall Street Journal notes that, due to new Chinese regulations regarding exports, TikTok’s AI might not be included in the sale. TikTokers often joke about “the algorithm” on the platform, but there is some truth behind it. TikTok does a great job of serving content that specific users want to see. While it can take a while to get past the overwhelming number of dancing videos on the platform, users that engage with content they like will soon see a curated “For You” page that is more applicable to the individual user.

The next big question, in my mind, is where will popular TikTok users and creators go next? Will it be Reels, Instagram’s version of TikTok? My money is on no.

What do you think? How do you feel about the TikTok ban? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg may have pushed Trump towards a TikTok ban
• TikTok exposed for collecting unique device data from Android users for nearly 15 months
• Ahead of the US election, Facebook will pay people to deactivate Facebook and Instagram
• Snapchat is looking to launch a new music-focused feature

Josiah Motley

Former KnowTechie editor.