Trump postpone blocking Tik Tok again

By Alimat Aliyeva

President Donald Trump has once again postponed the enforcement of a law that would block TikTok in the United States unless the platform’s U.S. assets are transferred to American investors, Azernews reports.

Trump has previously expressed hesitation about fully disabling TikTok. On the eve of the latest postponement, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt confirmed that the administration would grant a 90-day delay. This decision aims to provide more time for concluding a deal that would allow American users to continue using the app, ensuring the security and privacy of their personal data. The previous delay was set to expire on June 19.

Discussions surrounding the TikTok deal have recently been sidelined, partly due to ongoing trade negotiations with China, where talks in London have focused on customs tariffs and export restrictions. Despite this, the TikTok issue has historically been a key priority for the United States. The delay gives the Chinese company ByteDance another 90 days, starting June 19, to find buyers for TikTok’s American assets. This marks the third such delay under the Trump administration.

The original plans for the deal envisioned a structural separation of TikTok’s U.S. assets from ByteDance. According to these plans, the new company would have been owned 50% by a group of investors approved by the United States, while ByteDance's stake would drop below 20%. Oracle was considered as a potential strategic investor, already providing TikTok with data storage and processing infrastructure in the United States. However, the main sticking point remains TikTok's recommendation algorithm, which the Chinese government views as a critical technological asset and is unwilling to transfer.

It’s also worth noting that the deal, which could have been concluded in early April, fell apart after Trump announced an increase in import duties on Chinese goods. This move led to the Chinese government's refusal to accept the terms of the deal.

The saga surrounding TikTok has been a major focal point in U.S.-China relations, highlighting concerns over data privacy, national security, and the potential influence of Chinese tech companies on global communications platforms. The Trump administration has long been wary of the app’s ownership by ByteDance, fearing that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government. However, the question of whether the U.S. can truly force the sale of a foreign-owned company, or whether this is merely a geopolitical tool, remains unresolved.

Moreover, TikTok’s algorithm—specifically its ability to recommend viral content—has become a key piece in this puzzle. It’s one of the most powerful and secretive aspects of the app, and ByteDance has consistently stated that giving up control over it would undermine its business model. How this issue is resolved could have broader implications for the global tech industry and digital privacy regulations.