TikTok tests US earnestness for cooperation

TikTok "temporarily" suspended its services in the United States on Saturday, following the Supreme Court's ruling that a law requiring the app to sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban, is constitutional and does not violate the First Amendment.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act took effect at midnight on Sunday.

After the US Supreme Court's decision on Friday upholding an earlier appeals court judgment in favor of the sell-or-ban federal law, White House news secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement: "TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law," noting that actions to implement the law will fall to the Donald Trump administration.

That means the Joe Biden administration has handed a poisoned chalice to its successor.

After meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew last month, Trump told the media he would "take a look" whether he would seek to prevent the Supreme Court's ban from taking effect. And in a telephone interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump said he hadn't made a decision yet but he will "most likely" give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a ban in the US after taking office.

"I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it's appropriate. You know, it's appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It's a very big situation," Trump said.

The law allows for such a 90-day pause in the restrictions on the app if there has been significant progress toward its sale to a US entity before the law takes effect. But according to what the Justice Department has said in court filings, a sale of TikTok does not appear imminent and, although experts have said the app will not disappear from existing users' phones once the law takes effect, new users won't be able to download it and updates won't be available.

TikTok has about 170 million users in the United States, suspending its service before it has to is a risky action for the company as that might lead to its users migrating to other social media platforms. But if it continues to operate without compliance, it could expose itself and associated platforms to legal penalties of up to $5,000 per user. So suspending the app is a strategic move to mitigate legal risks and financial liabilities.

Media-savvy Trump attaches great importance to his media relations, as long as he thinks the media organizations are friendly to him, which is evidenced by the fact that several members of his Cabinet are former media veterans.

His personal rapport with Chew, and the important role TikTok played in helping him woo young voters in election mean TikTok might be regarded as a friendly social media platform that can contribute to his governance, as long as its alleged threat to the US' national security is addressed.

Users of the app are now greeted with a message apologizing for the app being unavailable that states, "we are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!"

It is also thought that Trump won't want to ban TikTok because he might seek to leverage the TikTok issue as a bargaining chip with Beijing in exchange for the latter's assistance on some other fronts. Trump is well aware TikTok's "threat" to US national security is just an excuse for some parties to try and Americanize the app, and the TikTok ban, one of the farewell gifts from the Biden administration, aims to shake Trump's popularity among young Americans and obstruct his efforts to repair ties with China.

Trump is certainly well aware that Biden's welcome-to-office gift is without substance and simply galvanized with a "national security" antirust coating to make it appear of value. Thus it should not be difficult for the new administration to find a proper solution to the issue.