Context:

President Trump plans to extend the deadline for TikTok to change its ownership from ByteDance, a Chinese company, to avoid a U.S. ban, marking the third such extension this year. The extension will provide TikTok an additional 90 days to find a new owner, with the current deadline looming this Thursday. This decision comes despite a federal law, supported by the Supreme Court and Congress, mandating TikTok's separation from its Chinese ownership due to national security concerns. However, Trump's repeated delays and non-enforcement of the law have stirred criticism from lawmakers who worry about potential misuse of U.S. user data and misinformation by China. While some lawmakers advocate for stricter action, the broader political appetite to enforce the law or shut down TikTok remains limited, as the app's future is also tied to ongoing trade negotiations with China.

Dive Deeper:

• President Trump is expected to issue an executive order granting TikTok 90 extra days to comply with a federal law demanding the app's separation from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to address national security concerns.

• The repeated extensions by Trump have raised alarms among lawmakers, who are concerned about the potential for TikTok to share sensitive user data with Beijing or to be used for spreading misinformation.

• Despite a federal law requiring TikTok to be sold to a non-Chinese owner by January 19, Trump's administration has not enforced it and has assured companies they would not face penalties during the delays.

• A deal, facilitated by Vice President JD Vance in April, appeared close to fruition, involving American investors such as Blackstone and Andreessen Horowitz, but it fell through due to the escalating U.S.-China tariff war.

• TikTok has been actively engaging with advertisers and promoting its ad tools to maintain operations and confidence among its user base, while also addressing social media-related issues like accusations of promoting eating disorders.

• Critics have questioned Trump's motivation for the extensions, suggesting his decisions may be influenced by a donor with significant interests in ByteDance and his growing popularity on the app.

• Some lawmakers, including Representative John Moolenaar and a group of Democratic representatives, have pushed for transparency and a resolution that addresses security concerns posed by TikTok and other Chinese tech entities like DeepSeek.