Trump Revives TikTok, Proposes 50% U.S. Ownership Stake in the Platform

Brussels (Brussels Morning) – In a dramatic turn of events, TikTok went dark for millions of U.S. users on Saturday night, just hours before the official government ban was set to take effect. The outage, however, proved to be short-lived; by Sunday afternoon, the app was back online, following a whirlwind of political negotiations and public outcry.

On Saturday 18, 2025, TikTok officially went offline for its U.S. users. The enormously popular short-video platform, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has since 2020 become nothing less than a cultural phenomenon, hosting 170 million users in the U.S. and offering a platform to more than 7 million American businesses. However, growing concerns over national security and data privacy led to intense scrutiny of the platform, leading in a significant decision by the current U.S. administration.  

More specifically, the Supreme Court had decided to issue a ban on the application on January 19th. However, the Biden administration, in its final days, announced it would not take steps to implement the law, deferring its enforcement to the incoming administration. Despite this delay, TikTok preemptively suspended its U.S. operations, leaving users with a stark message: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

What are the roots of the TikTok controversy?

The controversy surrounding TikTok really began in 2020 when then-President Donald Trump issued an executive order trying to ban the app due to concerns that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government. The order cited potential risks to national security, claiming that TikTok posed a threat to American users’ privacy. This order was received with significant backlash by the users, content creators, and civil rights advocates, who came forth arguing that such a ban was against freedom of speech and the app had become part of American life. Despite a variety of legal challenges, the Trump administration never quite managed to ban TikTok, with federal courts issuing injunctions against the ban, citing First Amendment rights and a lack of hard evidence proving the app presented an imminent threat. Nevertheless, the Biden administration inherited the issue and ordered a more thorough investigation into how the app works and handles its data.

The Shift in Policy

In late 2022, the Biden administration initiated a fresh investigation of TikTok, focusing on its data collection practices and the potential for foreign influence. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) played a pivotal role in reviewing how internally TikTok managed users’ data and whether such information could be forced out of it by the Chinese government under its national security laws. 

Throughout the investigation, TikTok had been trying to reassure American users by announcing fresh measures it was taking to enhance data security. The company announced it had begun storing U.S. user data on domestic servers and opened a transparency center that independent observers could use to monitor its practices. But lawmakers were still suspicious.

The growing concerns finally compelled Congress to act. Bipartisan legislation was introduced in 2023 to address the larger issue of foreign-owned apps and their perceived national security risks. The legislation sought to establish a framework for evaluating and regulating foreign technology companies operating in the U.S.

The Ban and Its Fallout

After months of deliberation, on January 10, 2025, the Biden administration announced its decision to ban TikTok in the United States. The ban was framed as a necessary measure to protect American


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last News

Are You a Bach Enthusiast?

Are You a Bach Enthusiast?

If the answer is “yes,” try not to miss a series of four “Bach ad Meridiem” concerts on Saturdays, June 13, 20, 27, and July 4, at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels city centre.
For the third consecutive year, the Ars in Cathedrali association presents this series of organ concerts dedicated exclusively to Johann Sebastian Bach.
From noon to 12.45pm, the German composer wil

Read More

Manfred Weber’s Inner Circle Diminishes as Chief of Staff Resigns

Manfred Weber’s Inner Circle Diminishes as Chief of Staff Resigns

STRASBOURG — Tom Vandenkendelaere, the right-hand man to European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber, announced his resignation on Wednesday, opting for a private-sector role in Belgium, as he informed POLITICO.
Vandenkendelaere will depart from EPP headquarters by the end of May, leaving the chief of staff position unfilled for now. This role, crucial for managing the party’s daily functio

Read More

May 2026 Update on Temple Square Renovation

May 2026 Update on Temple Square Renovation

Starting today, May 18, 2026, everyone is invited to explore the exhibits, statues, and experiences at the new Temple Square Visitors’ Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The visitors’ center’s opening is a key milestone in Temple Square’s reopening, leading up to the Salt Lake Temple Celebration from April 5, 2027, through October 1, 202

Read More

Italian Divers Found in Maldives, Underwater Recovery Mission Concludes

Italian Divers Found in Maldives, Underwater Recovery Mission Concludes

Maldives – May 20, 2026 – Eurotoday Newspaper — underwater recovery mission operations concluded in the Maldives during 2026 after authorities confirmed that rescue divers successfully recovered the final two bodies linked to a deadly scuba diving accident involving Italian tourists. The discovery followed several days of coordinated search efforts across challenging ocean conditions near one of

Read More

NATO’s Baltic Flank Shaken by Surge in Drone Incidents

NATO’s Baltic Flank Shaken by Surge in Drone Incidents

After a drone was detected in Lithuania, Vilnius International Airport was closed, and Ignalina District Municipality officials instructed schoolchildren to take cover. Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė planned to meet her National Security Commission on Wednesday to discuss drone incidents, with a government spokesperson informing LRT that she had been taken to shelter due to the air alert

Read More

EEA Launches 2026 Photo Competition — Resilient by Nature

EEA Launches 2026 Photo Competition — Resilient by Nature

The central theme of the European Environment Agency (EEA) 2026 photo competition ‘Resilient by Nature’, launched today, is the relationship between nature and society. It invites Europeans to portray how nature sustains life, reacts to challenges, and recovers in a transforming world.
Open for submissions from 18 May to 10 August 2026, the contest urges photography enthusiasts to delve into our

Read More

Belgium’s Türkiye Outreach Signals a Wiser European Realism

Belgium’s Türkiye Outreach Signals a Wiser European Realism

The recent rapprochement between Belgium and Türkiye may appear at first to be another routine diplomatic engagement shaped by trade agreements and investment talks. Yet Belgium’s economic mission to Türkiye, led by Queen Mathilde, carried a broader significance.
It took place on 10-14 May in İstanbul and Ankara.
At a time when global politics is increasingly shaped by distrust and strategic fragm

Read More

Brussels Sought to Reduce Red Tape: Easier Said Than Done

Brussels Sought to Reduce Red Tape: Easier Said Than Done

I’m sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.

Read More

Victory Marks New Beginning: Konstantin Rudnev Under House Arrest

Victory Marks New Beginning: Konstantin Rudnev Under House Arrest

Konstantin Rudnev spent fourteen months confined within Rawson, a maximum-security prison in Argentina, without conviction or trial, exposing the inconsistencies in constitutional application. The European Times highlighted how prosecutorial narratives can overshadow judicial orders. Now, Rudnev has been moved to house arrest in Buenos Aires. His wife, Tamara Siburova, expresses a mixed sense of

Read More

Taiwan Reasserts Sovereignty in Response to "Escalating Military Threat"

Taiwan Reasserts Sovereignty in Response to "Escalating Military Threat"

Taiwan has hit out at what it calls an “escalating military threat” posed by its neighbour China.
The comments come in the wake of last week’s key meeting in Beijing between U.S President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping.
The main focus of the trip was trade but it was the other “T” – Taiwan – that made many headlines around the globe.
Xi told Trump that Taiwan was

Read More