NORFOLK, Va. — Will we see TikTok go dark? That’s the big question.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January giving the Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance until April 5 to divest or sell its assets to a non-Chinese owner.
“President Trump has said that if April the fifth comes, he’s not going to force the sale on that day or shut it down or force the app to become non-operational. He’s going to give an extension,” says Cayce Myers, professor and director of graduate studies at Virginia Tech’s School of Communication.
Watch related: TikTok faces US ban Saturday unless ByteDance sells stake
The app is under scrutiny in the United States due to bipartisan concerns about national security. Critics claim the advanced algorithm leads to the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
“There are Republicans and Democrats in agreement that [TikTok] poses a threat, and there are other countries that feel the same way,” says Myers. “The counter narrative is that Chinese companies, or foreign companies, are operational in the United States already, and nobody seems to have the same kind of problem with it that they do with TikTok.”
Several potential buyers have expressed in buying the app including, MrBeast, an internet superstar, Project Liberty (an organization led by the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers), investor Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank, and more.
Watch: Trump considers another extension for TikTok sale
Now Amazon put in a last-minute bid this week to buy TikTok.
“Whether or not there is an actual deal remains to be seen,” Myers cautioned.
Of note, Myers says there isn’t as big of a frenzy surrounding the April 5 deadline, leading to confidence that the app will stay operational. “They were making anticipated moves for this going dark, so to speak, and they’re not doing that this time around,” he added.
When I asked why people should care about this conversation if they're not on TikTok, Myers responded, “I think that there is a larger political and national discussion that’s quite significant for us and just how we operate as a country and how we conceptualize our own speech rights.”
It’s looking highly likely that if there isn’t a viable buyer, the President will sign another executive order to extend the deadline for another 45 days.
