Investing.com — President-elect Donald Trump is considering an executive order that would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States, despite a looming legal ban, according to a report The New York Times (NYSE:). The potential executive order, first reported by The Washington Post, is being discussed as TikTok approaches a deadline on Sunday to find a new owner or face a ban in the United States. The video-sharing app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has been viewed by Republicans for several years as a national security risk, a point shared by both parties in Congress.
If the Supreme Court upholds the law ordering the sale of the app to an unauthorized company, Mr. Trump’s executive order could be the only way for TikTok to continue operating in the United States for the foreseeable future. The law requires app store operators such as Apple (NASDAQ: ) and Google (NASDAQ: ), as well as cloud computing service providers, to stop distributing TikTok in the United States.
The executive order could order the government to refrain from enforcing the law or to delay enforcement to complete the deal. This is a tactic that previous presidents have used to challenge legislation. However, it remains uncertain whether the executive order will withstand legal challenges or persuade app stores and cloud computing companies to take actions that could expose them to significant fines.
While there is a possibility that an application will continue to function if it has already been downloaded, the law also affects Internet hosting companies such as Oracle (NYSE: ) and other cloud computing service providers. Not sure how this might affect video loading times and app functionality.
An individual close to Mr. Trump’s team revealed that his allies had held preliminary talks about buying TikTok, but did not provide further details. President Biden, whose term ends Monday, a day after the ban began, is also facing pressure to come up with a solution to preserve the app.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday night that TikTok’s chief executive, Shou Chew, was expected to attend Mr Trump’s inauguration on Monday and had been offered a place at the podium.
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