TikTok CEO responds to Supreme Court decision, hints at app’s future in U.S.
(KTLA) — TikTok CEO Shou Chew on Friday responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the law requiring the app to sell its U.S.-based operations to a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the U.S.
The law will prohibit app stores like Apple’s App Store and Google Play, as well as cloud service providers like Oracle, from distributing, maintaining or updating TikTok.
In a video, Chew thanked President-elect Donald Trump for supporting the app while teasing that “more is to come,” potentially referencing the app’s future in the country.
“I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution to keep TikTok available in the United States,” Chew said in the video. “This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
Trump also issued a statement about the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday, saying in part that the decision was “expected.”
“The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The ban, scheduled to take effect on Sunday, means that 170 million Americans could lose access to a platform they use for entertainment, shopping, news, business marketing and more.
How to prepare for a TikTok ban, including how to save your content
Although the ban is two days away, many unknowns exist about how it will happen. TikTok has not confirmed whether the app will immediately go dark for U.S. users on Sunday.
Experts do suggest that users download their data and save any videos they want access to in the future.
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