Nome Iqbal
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
It's not surprising, first of all, the Supreme Court has decided that it won't rescue TikTok, that it stands with this bipartisan law that was signed by President Biden last year, which said that TikTok has to either sell off to a U.S. company or face being banned.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
And it's important to also note that it'll be Donald Trump's administration who implements this because this will come into force on Sunday, a day before Donald Trump takes office. Now, he has done a U-turn on TikTok because previously he was the one who got the ball rolling on the whole thing.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
He wanted it banned, but he realized how successful it was for him, for the 2024 presidential campaign, and he's changed his mind. Now, in terms of what he does to rescue it, we don't know yet. But he has said that he wants to find a way of making sure that TikTok can still be available for the millions of American users.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
Well, lawmakers say because China owns the algorithm, they can use it to spy on Americans. There isn't actually direct evidence of that. There is, however, evidence of the other concern, according to some academic studies, and that is TikTok is promoting Chinese government views. It's spreading propaganda. And so they want to get rid of it in that respect, or they want a U.S. company to own it.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
I mean, even earlier this week, Donald Trump's incoming Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said that China is America's biggest threat. And remember, this law that was passed has overwhelming bipartisan support. It's as bipartisan as you can get in contemporary Washington. it's not going to be possible for Donald Trump to reverse that law. He may decide that we're not going to enforce the law.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
I don't know how that would work. Apple, Google, Oracle, all these platforms might not want to take the risk. I think the best bet will probably be to try and get a US company to buy it. Now, there are lots of US companies that want to buy it. Elon Musk, the owner of X and Donald Trump's right-hand man, has expressed interest. But TikTok has said that it will not sell to a US company.