Appeal to Biden

Without government help, TikTok faces shutdown

TikTok has called for more support from the US government following the Supreme Court's dismissal of its lawsuit against a ban in the US. 

If President Joe Biden's administration "does not promptly issue a definitive statement" ensuring that the law is not enforced, "TikTok will unfortunately be forced to go offline on January 19," the company said. The White House declined to comment.

Biden's life preserver?
Outgoing US President Joe Biden could throw TikTok a lifebelt. He can extend the deadline for the forced sale by up to 90 days if he sees progress in negotiations regarding the sale.

According to lawyer Colin Costello from the law firm Freshfields, a simple key points paper between ByteDance and a potential buyer would suffice.

TikTok will probably disappear from the app stores in the USA on Sunday.(Bild: APA/dpa/Marijan Murat)

On Friday, the current US government reiterated its assessment that TikTok should remain available to citizens - but under American management or under a different owner that takes into account US national security concerns. A final decision would have to be made by the next government.

Supreme Court rejects lawsuit
On Friday, the US Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by the short video platform. According to the judges, the relevant US law does not restrict the right to freedom of speech guaranteed by the constitution. "Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address well-founded national security concerns regarding data collection practices and relationships with a foreign adversary."

TikTok and its parent company ByteDance are suspected of espionage due to their proximity to the Chinese government. For this reason, the US Congress passed a law last year with a large bipartisan majority that obliges ByteDance to sell its US business by January 19. Otherwise, TikTok will be blocked nationwide. The company had filed a lawsuit against this.

TikTok's fate in Trump's hands
Following the Supreme Court's decision, the platform is now facing imminent closure in the US. A sale by Sunday is considered unlikely, although there has been speculation about a deal with billionaire Elon Musk or another billionaire. The latter emphasized that his consortium met the requirements for a quick takeover of the platform, which is particularly popular with young people.

The court's decision has thrown the social media platform - and its 170 million American users - into an uncertain future. Its fate now lies in the hands of Donald Trump, who promised to save TikTok after his return to the presidency on Monday.