In recent weeks there has been much talk about a possible ban on the social media platform TikTok by the US government. But it seems they have finally abandoned their attempts to implement it, at least for the time being.
TikTok does not close in the US (for now)
Either sell or close
At the end of last summer, Donald Trump threatened to force the popular social network to close if it did not sell the service to another company. The deadline that he had to transfer the platform was last September 15. And, since the service was not finally sold, everything seemed to indicate that before the end of 2020 the social network would no longer be able to operate in the North American giant.
November 12th was the date TikTok was supposed to cease operations in the US if it hadn't been sold. But as the date approached, we heard nothing. Now, that date has passed, and Americans can still use the platform without any issues . Finally, the Commerce Department has confirmed that they have no intention of shutting it down for now.
The legal problems the government would face with the closure appear to be the main reason why the idea of shutting down the social network has been abandoned.
Legal complications for closing
Last month, US courts ruled that the national security threat posed by the use of TikTok was merely hypothetical.
Therefore, shutting down a social network for security issues that weren't even clear was a disproportionate measure and, consequently, legally complicated. That's why US authorities have been forced to abandon their attempts to close the platform, as they lack the necessary legal backing to do so.
This doesn't mean that TikTok won't eventually be shut down in the US anyway. But we'll have to wait until the relevant legal issues are resolved.
TikTok, the trendy social network
With approximately 689 million users, TikTok is one of the most popular social networks today. At first, it was especially won over by the pre-adolescent public, but later it has been spreading and now it has users of more adult age ranges. News of its closure would certainly have had a major impact on the ever-changing world of social media.
Do you think TikTok will finally end up closing in the US? Do you think that the result of the elections can influence the final decision? We invite you to go through our comments section and tell us your opinions about the controversy.