President Trump Might Extend The TikTok Ban Again Next Week, But Should He?
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 22: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump looks on during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 22, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The annual four day conference geared toward energizing and connecting conservative youth hosts some of the country’s leading conservative politicians and activists. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Next week, President Trump is expected to extend a TikTok ban once again, allowing creators to keep using the app but also delaying a final resolution on the issue.
The repercussions of the TikTok ban extension are fairly minimal. If Trump does extend the ban again, app stores will continue to keep updating the social media app and offering it for download. Users won’t notice any change, similar to the last extension.
However, an implication here is that the law is starting to lose validity over time. There are questions to ask about whether continual extensions are helping lead to a solution. One report suggested it’s time to challenge whether Trump can keep issuing executive orders. Others have made the case there is no legal authority to extend the ban.
How the TikTok ban started
As a quick refresher on the details so far, the TikTok ban was meant to address privacy and security issues related to ByteDance, the Chinese firm that owns the app. When you swipe and click on the app, there’s no assurance that China is protecting your data.
Late last year, the law was signed by President Biden and then upheld by the Supreme Court, making it illegal for app stores to distribute (and therefore update) the social media app. President Trump has postponed the ban three times so far, most recently in June. On September 17 of next week, Trump might extend the ban a fourth time.
A good question worth asking if you follow the social media landscape is: What happens if President Trump keeps extending the TikTok ban a few more times?
Legal issues with the TikTok ban
This has become a thorny issue because the idea of an executive order is not to delay or postpone legislation so often that the original intent of the law is lost.
Last year, legislators intended to ban TikTok to prevent ByteDance from collecting information that could be used nefariously during elections or to stir up dissent.
In many ways, extending the ban makes it less likely that a new company will come forward and make an offer to take over TikTok, assuming ByteDance is even open to that. Why would a new suitor want to take over the app if the controversy can be resolved with executive orders?
In fact, it’s hard to take the TikTok ban seriously at this point. Legal challenges about free speech have proved unsuccessful so far and no clear path for a successful sale has emerged. A rumor about Elon Musk getting involved certainly didn’t bring much clarity.
What’s next for the TikTok
My view is that it is time to settle the issue once and for all. The extensions are not helping resolve the problem identified long ago, namely that the app used by 170 million people in the United States has no guarantees of privacy or security.
Another issue is that a new TikTok owner would face an uncertain future, not knowing for sure if users will stay hooked on the app or if part of the appeal is that the social media service is not run by Meta or Elon Musk.
Not that users likely think through that issue, but there is something to be said for how the app has exploded in popularity — thanks to the current owner.
Companies might not be willing to touch a hot stove. The way it stands right now, the stove is just getting hotter and hotter as the TikTok ban might be delayed once again.