Deadline Looms for TikTok's U.S. Future

Two Democratic lawmakers have urged President Biden and Congress to extend the deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. assets. The Supreme Court is considering a challenge from ByteDance, with the company arguing that completing a sale by the deadline is impossible, risking the platform's shutdown.

In a bid to avert a potential shutdown of TikTok in the United States, two Democratic lawmakers have called on Congress and President Joe Biden to extend the January 19 deadline for the sale of the app's U.S. assets by its China-based parent company, ByteDance.

The Supreme Court recently heard arguments from TikTok and ByteDance challenging the urgency of the sale. Noel Francisco, the lawyer representing the companies, emphasized that meeting the current deadline is unrealistic, given the short timeframe and complexity of the sale process.

With 170 million American users potentially losing access to the popular short video platform, the stakes are high as lawmakers and the judiciary weigh in on TikTok's fate in the U.S. market.

(With inputs from agencies.)