TikTok CEO Shou Chew thanked President-elect Trump on Friday for his dedication to discover a answer that retains the app out there within the U.S., after the Supreme Court docket upheld a legislation requiring the platform to divest from its China-based father or mother firm or face a ban.
“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,” Chew mentioned in a video put up to the app.
“This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship,” he continued.
The Supreme Court docket on Friday rejected TikTok’s argument that the divest-or-ban legislation violates the First Modification, discovering that the federal government’s nationwide safety considerations about TikTok’s ties to China justified the measure.
The Biden administration has expressed considerations about China’s entry to American consumer knowledge on TikTok and the chance that it might manipulate the content material customers see on the app.
Regardless of the court docket’s determination Friday, the White Home has mentioned it doesn’t plan to implement the legislation, which is about to take impact the day earlier than Trump takes workplace.
“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday,” White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned in a press release.
Trump, who vowed to “save” TikTok throughout his marketing campaign, had requested the Supreme Court docket to delay the legislation so he might negotiate a deal as soon as in workplace. He mentioned Friday that he would decide on TikTok “within the not too distant future” however emphasised he wanted time to assessment the scenario.
Chew, who visited the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago final month, is about to attend Trump’s inauguration Monday.
“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,” Chew added.
The TikTok CEO vowed Friday to “do everything in our power” to maintain the platform out there for its American customers.
“To all American users, thank you for making our TikTok community such rich and vibrant states for surprising and delighting us every day,” he mentioned. “Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives as your online home for limitless creativity and discovery, as well as a source of inspiration and joy for years to come.”
