U.S. President, Joe Biden will not enforce a ban on social media giant TikTok before he leaves the White House.
The ban on the social media app is supposed to start on 19 January, a day before Mr Biden leaves the Oval Office and his Republican opponent Donald Trump takes over after winning in November’s election.
A law signed by Mr Biden last year saw Congress requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to divest TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban in one of its biggest markets.
But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr Biden’s administration was going to leave the decision to Mr Trump, who will be sworn in for his second presidential term on Monday.
“Our position on this has been clear: TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership. Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before the inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement,” a White House official told ABC News in a statement
TikTok, used by more than 170 million Americans monthly is reportedly planning to shut down the app on Sunday.
Trump, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to “save” TikTok, is reportedly considering executive action that would delay the implementation of the sell-or-ban law of the ban for up to 90 days.
“We will put measures in place to keep TikTok from going dark,” incoming White House national security adviser Mike Waltz told Fox News on Thursday, noting that the new law allows for an extension preventing it from taking effect “as long as a viable deal is on the table.”
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court agreed to hear and fast-track a case filed by TikTok challenging the law.
During arguments last week, lawyers for the social media platform argued that the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act violates TikTok’s free speech rights under the First Amendment.
