Biden White House says TikTok’s threat to go dark is a ‘stunt’

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s threat to “go dark” on Sunday, January 19th, a “stunt” and said there is no reason for TikTok to shut itself down before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on the 20th.

“It is a stunt, and we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump Administration takes office on Monday,” MSNBC quotes Jean-Pierre as saying. “We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration. So TikTok and other companies should take up any concerns with them.”

Now that a Supreme Court ruling upheld the ban, the company says it needs stronger assurances than what the Biden administration has offered so far to ensure that companies like Apple and Google won’t be held liable for continuing to distribute and support the app in defiance of the law.

Meanwhile, TikTok CEO Shou Chew has appealed to Trump by saying the company is “grateful” for his support of the platform.

Trump said that a “90-day extension is something that will be most likely done” during an interview with Kristen Welker from NBC News. Other reporting suggests that the incoming President plans to issue an executive order to delay the ban. Trump could say he wouldn’t enforce the ban, just as Biden says he will, but that still leaves TikTok’s US service providers, like Apple, Google, and Oracle, at legal risk.