Providers hosting TikTok could still face penalties despite extension, experts warn

• President Trump has extended TikTok's service in the US by 90 days
• The extension may not be legally enforceable
• Trump promised to not enforce fines against companies hosting the app

TikTok has restored its service in the US after being offline for less than 24 hours following its ban for failing to sell or divest from owner Bytedance, which the US alleged had connections to the Chinese government.

However, Presdient Trump’s restoration of service (which was acknowledged in-app) may not be legally binding, and could put web hosting services at risk of lawsuits and huge fines.

“Any company that hosts, distributes, services, or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability under the law,” Senator Tom Cotton warned on X (formerly Twitter), “not just from DOJ, but also under securities law, shareholder lawsuits, and ...