WASHINGTON, D.C. — Massachusetts Senator Edward J. Markey on Monday introduced a bill that would delay the deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban.
The popular social media platform could vanish from U.S. app stores beginning Jan. 19, 2025, if the Supreme Court does not block a federal law that forces TikTok to cut ties with its China-based parent company or face a nationwide ban.
Markey’s “Extend the TikTok Deadline Act” would delay the deadline by an additional 270 days.
“TikTok creators and users across the nation are understandably alarmed. They are uncertain about the future of the platform, their accounts, and the vibrant online communities they have cultivated,” Markey said while delivering remarks on the U.S. Senate floor and live on TikTok. “These communities cannot be replicated on another app. A ban would dismantle a one-of-a-kind informational and cultural ecosystem, silencing millions in the process.”
President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, recently asked the court to put a pause on the law so he can work out a “political resolution.”
“Let me be clear: TikTok has its problems. Like every social media platform, TikTok poses a serious risk to the privacy and mental health of our young people,” Markey added. “I will continue to hold TikTok accountable for such behavior. But a TikTok ban would impose serious consequences on millions of Americans who depend on the app for social connections and their economic livelihood. We cannot allow that to happen.”
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