TikTok says it will go dark on Sunday unless Biden’s admin assures service providers they won’t be penalized

WASHINGTON, Jan 17 — TikTok warned late Friday that it will be blacked out in the United States on Sunday unless President Joe Biden’s administration gives assurances to companies like Apple and Google that they won’t face enforcement action when a ban takes effect. .

The statement came hours after the Supreme Court upheld a law banning TikTok in the United States on national security grounds unless its Chinese parent ByteDance sells it, putting the popular short video app on track to blacked out in just two days.

The court’s 9-0 decision throws the social media platform — and its 170 million American users — into limbo, and its fate in the hands of Donald Trump, who has vowed to save TikTok upon returning to the presidency on Monday.

“If the Biden administration does not immediately issue a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers by ensuring non-implementation, TikTok will unfortunately be forced to go dark on January 19,” the company said.

The White House declined to comment.

Apple, Alphabet, Google, Oracle and others could face massive fines if they continue to provide services to TikTok after the ban takes effect.

The law was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress last year and signed by Biden, although a growing chorus of lawmakers who voted for it are now seeking to keep TikTok operating in the United States.

TikTok, ByteDance and some of the app’s users challenged the law, but the Supreme Court ruled that it did not violate the US Constitution’s First Amendment protection against government curtailment of free speech, as they had argued.

ByteDance has done little to remove TikTok by the legally mandated Sunday deadline. But the closing of the application may be short. Trump, who in 2020 tried to ban TikTok, has said he plans to take action to save the app.

“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but I need time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” Trump said in a social media post.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend Trump’s second inauguration on Monday in Washington.

Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed TikTok in a phone call on Friday.