On his first day of return, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that extends the ban on Tiktok, who briefly darkened in the US last week. But the legal logistics of the order remains uncertain, as there are many about the future of Tiktok.
Trump issued an executive order on January 20 to extend the detention of Tiktok, implemented by former President Joe Biden last year. The order gave a 75-day extension, which Trump said he would allow him to consult with his advisers and “relevant” departments and agencies to address national security concerns presented by TIKK.
Ben Sperry, an old researcher at the International Center for Justice and Economy, said the executive order falls into a “gray zone”. Under federal law, it remains illegal for US companies, such as online reception services and application stores, to maintain, distribute and update TIKTOK, as the platform remains owned by Chinese enterprises. However, Trump’s order invites companies to “disrupt” this law, under the impression that they will not face consequences, Sperry said.
Here’s what to know about Trump’s 75-day extent and how it affects users.
What did the executive order do?
According to the executive order, Trump ordered the US Attorney General not to implement the detention, starting by writing letters to providers who have supported TIKTOK, informing them that they will not face consequences.
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According to federal legislation, which remains in the country despite Trump’s order, companies can be fined $ 5,000 for users that help access to Tiktok. For Google and Apple, this can mean a $ 5,000 fine for each user that downloads or ticking updates. For online reception services as Oracle, this can mean a $ 5,000 fine for each user entering Tiktok using their services.
More:Donald Trump issues an executive order to stop the TIKK’s detention – but is it legal?
To break down it, if it is reported that 170 million Americans use TIKK and companies can be charged $ 5,000 per user, reaching about $ 850 billion, spread over different types of technology companies.
Even for technology giants like Google, Apple and Oracle, these are “big fines” they can face, Sperry said.
Why did Trump release an extension?
“The unfortunate time of Article 2 (a) of the act (which is implemented when the detention would affect) – the day before I assumed as the 47th President of the United States – interferes with my ability to evaluate national and foreign security the implications of the act of banning the act before they come into force, ”Trump wrote in his executive order.
Trump supported a Tiktok ban during his first administration, citing national security concerns. But lately, Trump has been vocal to love to “save” the platform.
On Sunday, Trump said he was in talks with numerous people to buy Tiktok and is likely to have a decision for a sale in the next 30 days, according to Reuters. Last week, Trump expressed support in CEO of Spacex and Tesla Elon Musk or CEO of Oracle Larry Ellison by buying the platform. But the president told reporters on board Air Force One that he had not been in talks with Ellison about a purchase.
More:The fate of Tiktok remains unclear. Here’s who wants to buy social media platform
Trump’s team did not respond immediately to comment about the executive order when contacted by USA Today on Monday.
When does the 75-day extension end?
The extension ends on April 5, 75 days since Trump approved it on January 20th.
How can Trump ‘overcome’ the ban, what is federal legislation?
In short, Trump and his administration are taking advantage of “Prosecution’s discretion,” Sperry said. The prosecution’s discretion is the power of the government to decide how to enforce a law for one person, or in this case, companies.
“You can, and I am sure the defenders of the executive order would say this, argue that they are simply using their prosecution discretion here to do what is in the public interest,” Sperry said.
When will Tiktok turn to app stores?
Tiktok has remained unavailable to download from Apple App Store and Google Play Store after the platform darkened on January 18th. Google nor Apple responded immediately when they were contacted by USA Today on Monday.
Why was Tiktok stopped?
In the spring of 2024, Biden signed the protection of Americans from the law of controlled external control applications. The legislation was given by the bydance, the Chinese parent company, until January 19, 2025 to divert Tiktok. For years, some government officials are afraid that TIKTOK is a threat of national security, worried that Bytedance is sharing US users with Chinese government. Tiktok has repeatedly denied these claims.
Bytedance failed to relocate the platform within the deadline and on January 18, Tiktok was darkened in the SH.BA platform wiped out Apple and Google Play stores and became unused for mobile devices and internet browsers.
However, just over 12 hours after becoming unavailable, Tiktok was restored to US users, after President Donald Trump promised that companies distributing the platform would not face consequences under the legislation.
Greta Cross is a national trend reporter in the USA Today. Follow him on X and Instagram @gretalcross. History ideas? E -mail to gCross@usatoday.com.