US: Trump wants to keep TikTok around 'for little while'
President-elect Donald Trump has voiced his support for TikTok's stay in the United States. Speaking at a recent event with conservative supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, he emphasized the tremendous engagement his presidential campaign garnered on the platform. "I think we're going to have to start thinking because, you know, we did go on TikTok," Trump said at AmericaFest.
TikTok's possible future in US
Trump's remarks come amid a legislative challenge for TikTok. Back in April, the US Senate passed a law requiring ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to divest the app over national security concerns. The app's future in the US now rests on a Supreme Court case where ByteDance is challenging this law. If unsuccessful and no divestment happens by January 19, TikTok could face a US ban.
Trump's campaign success on TikTok
Trump stressed how his campaign's presence on TikTok has made a difference, saying they had received "billions and billions of views." He called a chart depicting this record engagement "so beautiful to see," prompting him to think about keeping the platform alive in the US "for a little while." After meeting TikTok's CEO, Trump confessed at a press conference that his campaign's success on the app has created a "warm spot" for it.
National security concerns and TikTok's rebuttal
The Justice Department has expressed concerns about Chinese control over TikTok, considering it a potential national security threat. The position is largely supported by US lawmakers. However, TikTok has refuted these claims, saying the Justice Department has misrepresented its ties to China. The firm says its content recommendation engine and user data are stored on US-based Oracle Corp cloud servers, with content moderation decisions affecting US users being made in the country.
