Is TikTok getting banned again? China has until Sept. 17 to approve deal

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - TikTok could soon disappear from phones across the United States if China does not approve a pending deal by mid-September, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

RELATED: TikTok goes dark for US users as ban takes effect

Lutnick said the popular video-sharing app will be forced to cease operations in the U.S. if its China-based parent company, ByteDance, does not divest TikTok’s American assets by the September 17 deadline set under a law signed earlier this year by President Joe Biden.

The app is currently used by 170 million Americans, making it one of the most widely used social media platforms in the country.

The U.S. government has long raised national security concerns over TikTok’s Chinese ownership, fearing the Chinese Communist Party could access sensitive user data or influence content shown to American users.

ByteDance has denied those claims and is reportedly working on a sale or spinoff to comply with the new U.S. law.

If no divestiture is approved by Beijing, however, TikTok could go dark nationwide likely triggering legal and political battles in the weeks ahead.

TikTok temporarily shut down in the U.S. on January 18 of this year, after the company voluntarily suspended service ahead of a government-imposed ban.

The app was removed from app stores shortly thereafter. The following day, after President Trump pledged to extend the compliance deadline, TikTok services were restored on January 19, though app stores had not yet relisted it until January 24.

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