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Trump extends TikTok deadline: What does this mean for the USA?
President Trump grants TikTok a 90-day extension in the US. Privacy concerns and geopolitical tensions remain.
Trump extends TikTok deadline: What does this mean for the USA?
The video platform TikTok will remain on the market in the USA for the time being. President Donald Trump has granted the popular app a 90-day extension, pushing back the original sales mandate to Bytedance, the Chinese owner, to April 19, 2021. That's what she reports South German newspaper. Originally, TikTok should have been sold by January 19, 2021 or the app should have been taken down in the USA. Despite an existing US law that requires the app to be withdrawn, TikTok remains available until further notice.
Interestingly, Trump had already granted an additional 75 days at the beginning of his term in office. However, so far there are no promising sales negotiations for TikTok. This is where the concerns of politicians and experts come into play. They fear that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on American users or manipulate public opinion. Both TikTok and Bytedance defend themselves against these allegations.
TikTok algorithm controversies
A central point of contention is TikTok's algorithm, which determines the video selection for users. According to the law, neither the Chinese government nor Bytedance can have control over this algorithm. However, Bytedance also needs the approval of the Chinese government to sell software algorithms abroad.
It's no secret that TikTok is hugely popular in the US. This is also underlined by Trump's spokeswoman, who sees the extension of the deadline as an opportunity to reach an advantageous deal for the app. Finally, one could say that the app really has a good knack for being popular with users.
Data protection problems in Europe
Despite its popularity, TikTok has faced significant privacy issues. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined the platform €530 million for violating Europe's General Data Protection Regulation. The reason for this was the transfer of data from European users to China, which was viewed as a violation of transparency requirements. TikTok must now adapt its data processing within six months in order to comply with legal requirements. In addition, the DPC has found that TikTok cannot guarantee that European user data in China is protected similarly to that in the EU, which is causing a stir.
The issue of data protection has also made waves in the USA. Politicians and experts believe that American users' data poses a major security risk. According to its own statements, TikTok has now deleted the data used and is considering further regulatory measures in cooperation with the EU data protection authorities. In the past, the app was hit with a fine of 345 million euros in 2023 for its handling of data from users under the age of 18. These incidents cast a dark light on TikTok's practices, but the app's popularity remains strong, as recent developments show.
In summary, it remains to be seen how the situation surrounding TikTok will develop. While the extension gives the app some breathing room, concerns about data protection and control are hard to ignore.