Today (January 17), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold the controversial ban on the Chinese video app TikTok. As a result, the app could go dark this Sunday unless its parent company ByteDance sells it to an American company. According to CNBC, the app could continue to work for those who already have it downloaded on their device, but ByteDance has also threatened to shut it down.
Now, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has issued a statement in response to the ruling, along with a special message for President-elect Donald Trump. “On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States,” he began. “This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
Shou Zi Chew Delivers Message About TikTok Ban
“We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform — one who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating more than 60 billion views of his content in the process," he continued. “More to come.” Shou Zi Chew's message comes shortly after it was reported that Trump may be considering an executive order that would delay the ban. In December, Trump asked the Supreme Court to delay the implementation of the law to give his administration “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case.“
As for Joe Biden, ABC News spoke with a White House official earlier this week, who confirmed that he does not plan to enforce the law. "Our position on this has been clear: TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership," they explained. "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."
