White House says TikTok threat to go dark is a ‘stunt’
The White House said TikTok’s threat on Sunday to shut down in the United States unless tech companies received assurances they would not be punished for violating laws banning the app was a “stunt.”
Late on Friday, the social media platform said it needed a commitment from the outgoing Biden administration to ensure that companies like Apple and Google would not face prosecution for ignoring the impending ban.
“This was a stunt and we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Instead, the Biden administration said it will be up to President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday, to decide how and whether to implement the law.
TikTok said it would be forced to “shut down” in the United States on Sunday because the White House and the Justice Department “failed to provide necessary clarity and assurances to service providers that are critical to maintaining TikTok’s availability.”
The move follows a Supreme Court ruling on Friday morning upholding a law banning the app from being used in the United States unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the platform by Sunday.
ByteDance has repeatedly said it will not seek a buyer for the platform.
In compliance with the law, the US version of the app will be removed from app stores and web hosting services in the coming days.
