It’s scary to think that earlier this year, TikTok was on the verge of being banned. But thanks to the Trump administration, they kept pushing the ban deadline until a US buyer could be found . It’s been a long and strange journey, so much so that even the original lawmakers behind the initial TikTok ban are facing confusion on what’s going on, too.
TikTok ban confusion
In its report, The Verge reached out to nearly a dozen current and former lawmakers who voted for the bill. Only one provided a comment. Several didn’t respond to repeated requests. Even those who called the app “digital fentanyl” and warned about national security threats have gone quiet.
Senator Maria Cantwell offered one of the few statements. She noted that Congress is still waiting to get briefed on how the Trump TikTok deal would actually stop Chinese algorithms from causing harm. “The lack of transparency has caused concerns for both Democrats and Republicans who are still waiting for secure briefings.”
House China Select Committee Chair John Moolenaar also expressed concerns about the deal’s structure. However, he’s waiting for more details from the White House rather than demanding enforcement of the law he helped pass.
When Trump offered a second extension in April, there were several Republicans who didn’t directly criticize Trump. Senator Josh Hawley told reporters at that time he “would advise the President against” a deal that doesn’t comply with the law.
A brief history
Less than two years ago, TikTok’s existence in the US was in crisis. A former national security adviser compared allowing TikTok to remain under Chinese ownership to letting the Soviet Union control major American newspapers during the Cold War. US President Biden later signed the law forcing ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban.
TikTok briefly went offline in January as the deadline hit. However, President Trump stepped in with extensions. These extensions kept getting extended as the Trump administration attempted to find a buyer in the US. Then, there was also the issue with getting China to agree to the sale. This is because TikTok’s algorithm was considered a key piece of Chinese technology, and under Chinese law, selling it to foreign entities was not allowed.
However, recently it was announced that a deal had been struck . It is expected that TikTok’s US operations would be under the control of a new board of directors. Oracle will also be responsible for security , while the US also gets to tweak its algorithm specifically for the US market.
