Background on Donald Trump and His Relevance
Donald J. Trump served as the 45th President of the United States from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021. Known for his business background and reality TV fame, Trump’s presidency was marked by controversial policies and actions. One of these actions involved the short-form video app TikTok, which raised national security concerns due to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
TikTok and ByteDance: An Overview
TikTok, a popular social media platform for creating and sharing short videos, was developed by the Chinese startup ByteDance. The app gained immense popularity worldwide, including in the United States, raising concerns about data privacy and national security due to its Chinese ownership.
National Security Concerns
In August 2020, the Trump administration claimed that TikTok could be used by the Chinese government for espionage and data collection, posing a national security risk. This led to executive orders that would have forced ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations.
Trump’s Decree and Extension
On September 17, 2020, President Trump signed a decree extending the deadline for ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets by 90 days, pushing the new deadline to November 12, 2020.
Previous Delays
- Trump had previously granted two extensions to the initial January 2021 deadline for TikTok’s shutdown.
- These extensions were granted following negotiations with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, and potential U.S. buyers.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main issue with TikTok? The primary concern is data privacy and national security, as the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could potentially share user data with the Chinese government.
- Who is ByteDance? ByteDance is a Chinese multinational technology company founded in 2012. It is the parent company of TikTok and other popular apps like Douyin and Toutiao.
- What was the initial deadline for TikTok’s divestment? The original deadline set by executive orders was August 2021.
- How many extensions has Trump granted to TikTok? Trump granted two extensions, pushing the deadline from January 2021 to November 2020.
- What is the new deadline for TikTok’s divestment? The new deadline, set by Trump’s decree, is November 12, 2020.
