ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Today, President Trump announced he'll be extending a deadline to ban TikTok. And if this sounds familiar, well, it's the second time the Chinese social media app has evaded a ban. It now has another 75 days to find an American buyer. TikTok's had a wild couple months, and NPR tech correspondent Bobby Allyn is here to bring us up to speed. Hey, Bobby.
BOBBY ALLYN, BYLINE: Hey, Ari.
SHAPIRO: Another day, another delay on the TikTok ban. Were you expecting this?
ALLYN: I mean, Ari, I really wasn't. I spoke to someone directly involved in these discussions yesterday, and this person said an announcement about a big TikTok deal from the White House seemed to be ready to go. Then this morning came around, everyone's waiting. Is it going to happen? Is it going to happen? And nothing happened.
Behind the scenes, though, you know, things were quite chaotic. Among the factors that really put a spoke - really put a stick in the spoke of this plan was President Trump's firing recently of several National Security Council staffers, and one of them was running the TikTok deal. Another factor that likely complicated this - those stiff tariffs that Trump imposed on many countries, including China.
SHAPIRO: We have more on those National Security firings in another part of the show. But how do we even get to this place to begin with?
ALLYN: Yeah. Five years ago in the pandemic, when TikTok, you know, was really surging in popularity, concerns about its China connections really started to grow. And back then, in Trump's first term, he tried to ban the app, and lawmakers of both parties got behind him. But now, in his second term, he supports TikTok. He's credited the app with helping to drive young voters to the polls.
But when he got in office, he had to confront a law Congress passed requiring TikTok to be spun off from ByteDance, its Beijing owner, or be banned. But the start date of that law, as you mentioned, has now been paused twice. And in the meantime, there's just been a flurry of bidders from YouTuber Mr - to YouTuber MrBeast, to Amazon, to the adult content site OnlyFans, or even hearing that Walmart is interested. All sorts of suitors trying to come after TikTok, and Trump has been encouraging these bids.
SHAPIRO: Do you know if there's one particular bid the White House is leaning towards?
ALLYN: Yeah, there is, and it looks something like this. Negotiators say a new entity with a consortium of U.S. companies and investors will likely be created. It's being called TikTok America, and it would involve many companies, including Oracle. And the plan is to license TikTok's algorithm from ByteDance, and then all of Americans' data and how the algorithm is used would be audited and monitored by this group. ByteDance would keep a minority stake in the company, but basically operate what's essentially a U.S. subsidiary with just some extra national security controls in place. So that is the idea, Ari, as of now, but with - you know, like so much else in the Trump White House, this situation just very much in flux.
SHAPIRO: I think a lot of TikTok users remember that 14-hour blinkout (ph).
ALLYN: Yes.
SHAPIRO: Is something like that going to happen again or will service continue uninterrupted?
ALLYN: I don't think we're going to see another blackout, but, again, this has been a wild ride. We just don't know what's going to happen. Not expecting any disruptions in any regard. But, again, this has just been a really unpredictable tale for TikTok, so I think TikTokkers can keep doing their thing. We shall see.
Legally, though, Ari, it's really a quite different situation. I mean, under this law that Congress passed, TikTok is right now operating illegally. But the Trump administration says through Trump's Department of Justice it will not be enforcing the law. So it is a law on the books with no teeth. We shall see, Ari, in 75 days, if there is any more certainty, especially legally, for TikTok.
SHAPIRO: NPR's Bobby Allyn, thanks for your reporting.
ALLYN: Thanks, Ari. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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