Washington DC [US], January 18 : TikTok issued a statement on Saturday ahead of the looming prospects of the ban on the app in the United States.
In its statement, TikTok said that the White House and the Department of Justice failed to provide necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers. TikTok noted that unless a definitive statement assuring non-enforcement is not provided by the Biden administration, the application would shut down its operations in the United States from January 19 onwards.
In a post on X, TikTok wrote, "The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million Americans. Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19."
}}}}Statement on Possible Shutdown
The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million…
— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) January 18, 2025
The comments come amid the backdrop of the US Supreme Court's ruling regarding a proposed ban on TikTok due to security concerns, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasised that the responsibility for "implementing the law now falls on the incoming administration."
In a statement, Jean-Pierre said on Friday, "The administration, like the rest of the country, has awaited the decision just made by the US Supreme Court on the TikTok matter. President Biden's position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the President's desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law."
"Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognises that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration, which takes office on Monday," the statement added.
US President-elect Donald Trump also reacted to the court ruling in an interview with CNN. While he has not committed to reversing the ban, Trump hinted at the possibility, saying, "Congress has given me the decision, so I'll be making the decision."
He also confirmed having spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about TikTok, describing their discussion as "a great talk about TikTok and a great talk about many other subjects.
The US administration's concerns centre on TikTok's extensive data collection practices and its connections to the Chinese government.
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