TikTok lost its appeal to stop the bill which is casting doubt on its future, at least in the United States. By January 19th ByteDance, the company that manages TikTok, must choose which path to follow: sell the app or get banned from stores operating in the United States.
In the news of the technology world this bill has become known as “divest-or-ban”. With a rough translation: “Divest or Ban”. The law, signed by Joe Biden, provides that on January 19th ByteDance, the company that manages TikTok, will have to decide which path to follow in the United States: sell the app or accept the ban which will prevent it from being distributed in the official stores. In case of ban the economic damage is incalculable. Not only for the ownership of the app but also for all the creators who have started any since it became established activity related to the app. ByteDance had appealed but now a Washington court ruled that the bill signed by Biden is constitutional.
Timing is key. January 19th is the deadline by which TikTok will have to choose. The inauguration ceremony is scheduled for January 20th Donald Trumpthe president-elect of the United States. The things that could happen there are many. According to The Verge magazine, the law allows a90 day extension of this deadline. Under two conditions: the president must agree and the process for the transfer must be started.
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Donald Trump could also decide to ask the Department of Justice not to apply the law. This too is possible. But anyway TikTok location would be weakened, given that its existence would remain tied to the will of Donald Trump. The question at this point is obvious. What is the new president’s position on TikTok? It used to be bad. Then she softened, at least for two reasons. Facebook, the platform that was fundamental to his victory in 2016 he banned him. And then he was one of the most important financiers of his electoral campaign Jeff Yassan American billionaire who according to Bloomberg has approx 15 billion dollars invested right in ByteDance.
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Trump has already stated that delete TikTok from American smartphones would mean leaving everything in the hands of Meta and its products. This is what he commented on the bill on Truth, his social network: “If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business. I don’t want Facebook, which cheated in the last elections, to get rich. I am a true enemy of the people!”. Zuckerschmuck it’s a play on words, a broad translation would be Zuckerazzo.
