The Biden White House says TikTok’s threat to go dark is a ‘stunt’

White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre known as TikTok’s menace to “go darkish” tomorrow a “stunt,” and stated there isn’t a purpose that TikTok or some other corporations ought to take any actions beneath the ban earlier than the Trump administration is sworn in Monday morning, a number of information shops are reporting.

“It’s a stunt, and we see no purpose for TikTok or different corporations to take actions within the subsequent few days earlier than the Trump Administration takes workplace on Monday,” MSNBC quotes Jean-Pierre as saying. “We have now laid out our place clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this regulation will fall to the subsequent administration. So TikTok and different corporations ought to take up any considerations with them.”

The assertion comes in the future after TikTok threatened to go offline if the Biden administration doesn’t provide reassurance that corporations like Apple and Google gained’t be held accountable for defying the ban, which the Supreme Court docket upheld yesterday. Firm CEO Shou Chew additionally appealed to Donald Trump, saying the corporate is “grateful” for his help of the platform.

Trump stated {that a} “90-day extension is one thing that might be probably performed” throughout an interview with Meet The Press moderator Kristen Welker for NBC Information. That adopted reporting earlier this week that the incoming President plans to difficulty an government order doing so.

Provided that the ban’s deadline is up earlier than he’s sworn in, it’s not clear whether or not Trump can truly prolong it. He can select to not implement the ban, simply as Biden says he’ll, however that also leaves Apple and Google to determine if Trump’s phrase is definitely worth the authorized threat that may include defying the ban by leaving the app accessible for obtain.