TikTok May Avoid US Ban After Framework Deal with China

There was a lot of uncertainty over what would happen to TikTok in the United States. Many users and creators worried that the short-form online video platform would shut down completely. However, a recent framework agreement between the United States and China may mean TikTok avoids a US ban.

TikTok may continue operating in the US, thanks to the framework deal

The US government said that TikTok could pose “a national-security threat of immense depth and scale” for American users. As such, it passed a new law in April 2024 that would force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US division. If the company fails to do so, the government will not allow the app to operate in the United States.

However, ByteDance says it keeps American user data private and separate from China, and that banning the app would take away the right of free speech for its 170 million US users. After the law went into effect on January 19 this year, TikTok went completely dark for both Android and iOS users. Fortunately, the government quickly allowed the company more time, and the social media app was back online in less than 24 hours. Since then, the government has pushed back the deadline three times, with the latest one set for September 17.

The US government might extend the deadline by 90 days

Now, just days ahead of the latest deadline, the two countries reached a framework agreement that could keep TikTok running in the US. “The U.S. and China have reached a framework deal for social media platform TikTok”, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday. “It’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms have been agreed upon.”

While Bessent did not share the details of the deal publicly, he said the government could extend the deadline by 90 days to finalize the deal. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump also said that he will speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the terms. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “A deal was also reached on a certain company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday”. We should learn about the deal in the coming days.