Trump Delays TikTok Ban Deadline Again
Despite tough talk and ticking clocks, the TikTok ban keeps slipping as deadlines pass and decisions stall.
If it feels like the TikTok ban has been “weeks away” for over a year now, it’s because the timeline keeps shifting. What was initially framed as a national security effort to curb foreign influence over U.S. user data has now seen multiple delays and shifting deadlines.
President Trump has extended the ban deadline for the third time, another 90-day pause that pushes the enforcement date to mid-September. With no deal in place and mounting legal tension, the real question isn’t just whether TikTok will be banned, but whether the law behind it will ever be enforced.
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the extension allows more time to “ensure the deal is closed” and protect user data. But the legal situation is murky. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, makes it illegal for U.S. companies like Apple and Google to host TikTok, with serious penalties for non-compliance. But, Trump’s executive orders have instructed the Department of Justice not to enforce the law, at least not yet. These orders don’t alter the law itself; they just delay it.
This puts major tech firms in a precarious position. Apple, Google, and Oracle could be penalised for continuing to support TikTok. But for now, they’re reportedly operating under informal assurances from the government that they won’t be prosecuted during the delay.
This uncertainty is now causing internal issues. Leading to a Google shareholder to file a lawsuit demanding to know how the company is managing the risk of defying federal law based on temporary political guidance.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, ByteDance and Oracle were reportedly close to finalising a deal to keep TikTok alive in the U.S., but those talks collapsed after Trump imposed new tariffs on China. Even if revived, China may not approve transferring TikTok’s algorithm, its most valuable asset.
Back in Washington, frustration is growing in Congress. Lawmakers on both sides argue that the repeated delays of the TikTok ban increase legal exposure for tech companies and create more confusion. Even some Republicans, like Senator Josh Hawley, have criticised the administration’s handling of TikTok specifically, calling the repeated extensions a legally unsustainable “middle way” and demanding that the ban be enforced as written.
Unless a deal materialises or a court steps in, the TikTok saga looks set to continue with no clear resolution.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
