An "indefinite" stop has reportedly been placed on the forced sale of TikTok to companies including Oracle and Walmart by U.S. President Joe Biden, a move that contradicts former president Donald Trump's push for the sale to take place.
Biden Saves the Day
People with knowledge of the matter told The Wall Street Journal that the Biden administration is conducting a broader review of Trump's claims that the Chinese video-making app posed security threats.
In a twist of fate for the popular app, the Biden administration said in a court filing that the review will be undertaken to find out if Trump's claims about TikTok being a national security threat warrants a ban.
National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said the new administration will come up with a "comprehensive approach" to ensuring that U.S. data is protected at all costs.
Horne added that the plan includes reviewing the potential "risk posed by Chinese apps and other software that operate in the U.S."
When asked about the issue relating to TikTok in a press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration cannot provide a timeline for the review's completion at present.
Psaki clarified that Biden has not taken a "new proactive" step regarding the TikTok ban.
TikTok Goes Through a Difficult 2020
While TikTok's popularity continued to soar during the pandemic year, stumbling blocks piled up behind the scenes.
Last year, then-President Trump ordered that TikTok be banned in the United States. The process included parent company ByteDance walking out of its U.S. operations, but the company refused to back down.
ByteDance went on to appeal Trump's order in November, which analysts said was a great time to do so as the Trump administration was busy with the presidential election.
The fate of TikTok and ByteDance has yet to be decided but so far, the Chinese company may have the upper hand in the form of several separate federal court rulings that could block the new administration from completely banning the app should the review's results prove anything from the previous administration's claims.
Industry experts said results from the Biden administration's review could take several months.
Will TikTok Triumph?
When Trump's first moves against TikTok were revealed to the public, some industry analysts said the developments appeared to be politically motivated as the former U.S. president initiated a trade war against China previously.
Trump has had a hard-line stance towards China since he rose to power. While the Biden administration has said that it will retain a hard-line stance in addressing China, it appears that the new administration will utilize a different approach.
Earlier this week, Biden said that instead of "conflict" with China, the U.S. will push for "extreme competition."
At this point, only time and the results of the Biden administration's review can determine whether TikTok's operations in the U.S. will continue or the remnants of Trump's orders will prevail.
