Surprise, surprise: TikTok avoided getting banned in the US once again! The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) has granted the China-owned app an extension until November 27, 2020.
CFIUS Grants TikTok a 15-Day Extension
In yet another installment in the neverending TikTok saga, the app continues to evade a potential ban put in place by US President Donald Trump. President Trump issued an executive order in August 2020 that would ban all use of the app on November 12 unless TikTok divested its US assets.
And although TikTok was working on a deal with Oracle and Walmart, it was never finalized. This left TikTok susceptible to Trump’s potential ban that would cease all use of the app.
In late October, the TikTok ban was pushed back by a court case filed by three TikTok creators. Pennsylvania District Judge Wendy Beetlestone ruled in the creators’ favor, noting that a ban on the app would negatively impact the creators’ livelihoods.
Judge Beetlestone agreed to delay the November 12 deadline, but this ruling still didn’t address Trump’s executive order that would force TikTok to divest its US assets.
As November 12 approached, TikTok claimed that it heard nothing from the Trump administration, and was left confused over the status of its ban. TikTok noted that it received “no substantive feedback” from the Trump administration.
This lead TikTok to file a petition against the Trump administration’s ban, asking for yet another extension. In response, the Department of Commerce stated that it won’t follow through with the ban on the November 12 deadline “pending further legal developments,” and noted that it will comply with Beetlestone’s ruling.
CFIUS also granted TikTok an extension; the new deadline will be on November 27. This means that TikTok will now have 15 extra days to finalize a deal with Oracle and Walmart.
Another Win for TikTok
2020 hasn’t been a great year for TikTok. After getting accused of being a national security threat, and jumping into a long legal battle with the Trump administration, TikTok hasn’t had the best of luck.
It also seems like the Trump administration’s interest in the matter has fizzled out. Now that Trump’s time in office is ticking away, the administration has more pressing matters to concern itself with.
Plus, TikTok may not even be able to finalize a deal with Oracle in time for the new deadline. If this results in yet another extension, President Trump may not even be in office anymore. In the end, the Biden administration might have to figure out what to do with the app.