TikTok has just been given a lifeline that extends its stay in the United States until September 27, following the announcement of its CEO.
The White House is going all-in on the national security narrative. As of the moment, anything that involves Chinese tech has the potential to invade its national security. As such, for alleged precaution, it is banning several apps that culls its users’ data.
Unfortunately, among the many apps in the market that has Chinese roots, TikTok and WeChat are getting the most flak. Both app companies have been in meetings with the U.S. government to discuss putting off the ban.
Fortunately, in a recent turn of events, TikTok CEO Vanessa Pappas announced that their time in the U.S. would be extended.
TikTok extends its life in the U.S. until September 27
News about the acquisition of TikTok has been scarce since Oracle took the lead in the sweepstakes. The huge tech company had a reported agreement with ByteDance about taking over its operations. The agreement was then immediately forwarded to the White House, and in a sudden turn of events, TikTok could be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
WeChat and TikTok essentially still have until November 12, 2020, to stay. After this date, internet providers will already be prohibited from servicing these two particular apps. The order also includes that the president may impose more prohibitions along the way.
However, it seems like this order from the government will be pushed back to September 27 instead. This period of the extension could be ByteDance’s last chance to finalize a deal to transfer its operations in the United States. If it still fails in this, its glory days may be over all of a sudden.
What are the contents of the government’s order?
The United States Department of Commerce issued an order in the name of national security that bans TikTok and WeChat from conducting business in the country. Originally, both apps should have been made unavailable for download from the App Store and the Play Store starting September 20.
Those that have the app already downloaded will not get updates moving forward. Also, starting during the date mentioned earlier, WeChat users are prohibited from using the app as a form of transferring funds or processing payments within the country.
Several content creators stand to lose their source of income when TikTok goes dark. As for WeChat, the majority of immigrants from China will lose their only means of communication back home. It is because Google and several U.S. based social media apps are also banned in China.
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