FILE PHOTO: TikTok's logo is displayed on the smartphone while standing on the U.S. flag in this illustration picture taken, November 8, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
TikTok was all set to sell off its operations in the US to Walmart and Oracle to avoid a ban in the country imposed by ex-President Donald Trump. However, now that President Joe Biden has finally assumed Office, the deal to sell off TikTok to American companies has been pushed back indefinitely.
Ever since President Biden replaced Trump, he has been overturning his measures such as bringing the US back into the UNFCCC’s Paris Agreement. According to a report from WSJ, this has also caused the TikTok deal to be shelved indefinitely. This is because the concerning potential security threats regarding TikTok will now be reviewed by President Biden.
ALSO READ
PEMRA and PTA to Explain About Vulgar TikTok Videos Shown on TV
Furthermore, a court filing from Biden’s administration said that it had begun reviewing the agency action that would help determine whether the alleged national security threats cited by Trump regarding TikTok are enough to justify a ban. The filing also revealed that neither TikTok nor ByteDance are opposing the delay.
ALSO READ
Telegram Was The Most Downloaded Non-Gaming App in January 2021
TikTok has already been banned in a few regions including India, which banned the Chinese social media app citing security concerns back in June 2020. Despite the bans, TikTok managed to top the charts in 2020 and came second in January 2021 according to a report from Sensor Tower.