The US is once again talking about banning TikTok: deadlines have been set

The US has once again raised the issue of banning TikTok. According to US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, the US government plans to completely ban TikTok in America. 

There is one condition: an agreement to sell the app to an American company must be concluded by September 17, 2025. That is, before Trump’s latest executive order suspending the implementation of the “Law on Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries.”

Lutnick told CNBC that TikTok will “disappear” on that date if China refuses to sign the agreement.

“We have made a decision. We cannot allow the Chinese to control an app that is installed on 100 million American phones,” he said. 

He also claims that in order to fulfill the terms of the agreement, the US must gain control over both the app and its algorithms. And if this does not happen by the current deadline, Trump is ready to ban it.

The emphasis here is on TikTok’s algorithm, as it is the main problem. The Chinese government is not very willing to negotiate the sale of TikTok’s source code in any form. And TikTok without its unique algorithm would probably not be the same. Therefore, US officials are trying to include this element in any agreement.

Last week, Trump said he already had a deal on TikTok, and it was ready to be signed by an American consortium. However, it’s not that simple, because one of the key partners recently backed out of it.

So, for now, the deal is up in the air, and it’s unclear if it will change.