US lawmakers called on outgoing President Joe Biden to extend the January 19 deadline for ByteDance to sell its American assets TikTok or expect a ban.
The Supreme Court on Friday considered TikTok and ByteDance’s legal challenge to the law. Its legal representative, Noel Francisco, said completing the sale within next week was not feasible, Reuters reported.
Francisco warned that a ban would immediately eclipse the platform, which serves 170 million U.S. users, effectively ceasing its operations.
Biden could grant a 90-day extension if ByteDance demonstrates significant progress on divestment, but it is unlikely the company will be able to meet those requirements.
Senator Edward Markey announced plans to propose a bill that would extend ByteDance’s deadline by 270 days. “A ban would destroy a unique information and cultural ecosystem while silencing millions,” Markey said Monday.
“A TikTok ban would have serious consequences for millions of Americans whose social connections and economic livelihoods depend on the app. We can’t allow that.”
President-elect Donald Trump has asked the court to delay implementation of the law, saying he needs time after his Jan. 20 inauguration to find a “political solution.”

American content creators are switching platforms

As tensions loom over Tik Tok’s ban, several American content creators have started turning to another Chinese social media app.
Xiaohongshuknown in English as Red Note, rose to the top of Apple App Store downloads on Monday as users flocked to its Instagram-meets-Pinterest-style layout.
“Oh, you don’t want the Chinese to have our very sensitive personal information?” influencer Jen Hamilton asked sarcastically in a video sent to her 3.9 million followers on TikTok promoting her move, reported AFP.
“It’s impossible how little I care that the Chinese have my data,” she said in her video, telling a joke about a user who “changed his username to his social security number” so that alleged spies “get promoted faster.” could”. “
“Come over,” she said to her fellow “TikTok refugees.”
It all started last year when the US government passed a law that forced ByteDance to either sell or shut down TikTok.
The US government has alleged that TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users and is a channel for spreading propaganda. However, China and ByteDance strongly denied the claims.