TikTok Says App Will Shut Down in U.S. Jan. 19 Unless Biden Administration Provides ‘Definitive Statement’ That Ban Will Not Be Enforced

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor TikTok said it will be “forced to go dark” on Sunday, Jan. 19, unless it receives a “definitive statement” from the outgoing Biden administration that the app’s tech partners won’t be penalized under the divest-or-ban bill.

On Friday morning, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal by TikTok and parent ByteDance to halt a law that will ban the popular video app in the U.S.

as of Sunday unless China-based ByteDance divests its stake in the app to a party that is not located in a country deemed a “foreign adversary.” “The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” TikTok said Friday. “Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19.” The Biden administration has punted the decision about enforcing the law to President-elect Donald Trump, who said he wants to find a resolution that will keep TikTok legal in the U.S. RELATED: TikTok CEO Thanks Trump for ‘Commitment to Work With Us’ to Keep App Legal in U.S.

After Supreme Court Upholds Ban “The Administration, like the rest of the country, has awaited the decision just made by the U.S.