After President Donald Trump threw TikTok a temporary lifeline on January 20, the popular app is facing a fast-approaching deadline of April 5 that could end its operations in the US.
Shortly after he was sworn in, Mr Trump agreed to exercise an option in the bipartisan legislation that tried to force TikTok's China-based owner, ByteDance, to sell the platform to a US entity, giving the company 75 more days to come up with a solution that would keep the platform running.
The US President had initially supported a ban but reversed course after using the video-sharing platform to make inroads with younger voters during the November election.
“There is a lot of people interested in TikTok, and I think we have a chance of doing something good,” Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One this week. “We'll be speaking to China about that also because they are a party to it too, obviously. But it would be great to keep TikTok alive and sell it to somebody that's going to do a great job with it.”
Despite ample speculation and investors in the US expressing interest in acquiring TikTok, there is still no indication from ByteDance that it is willing to sell the platform.
After suffering several court losses, most importantly at the US Supreme Court, TikTok briefly shut down in the US on January 19, telling users that it hoped to find a solution with Mr Trump.
After Mr Trump's lifeline, TikTok took its services back to the US. It also secured important win this month when Apple and Google returned the app to their stores.
“Our US users can download the latest version of our app and continue to create, discover and share what they love on TikTok,” the company said.
With TikTok back on app stores, users do not have to worry about it malfunctioning due to a lack of updates pushed to devices around the world.
What prompted the app to reappear in two of the biggest mobile app stores? According to a report from Bloomberg, a letter from US Attorney General Pam Bondi to Apple and Google, assuring the tech giants that they would not be held accountable for the app while deliberations continue.
Yet TikTok, and its more than 170 million active users in the US, is not necessarily out of the woods given ByteDance's seeming reluctance to sell the platform.
At the heart of all the litigated drama surrounding TikTok is the debate around user data security. During his first term, Mr Trump in 2020 expressed concern that TikTok would compromise US user data, and therefore US national security. He supported bipartisan legislation to ban TikTok or force its sale to a US company.
TikTok has repeatedly denied accusations about the integrity of user data.
Prof Mark MacCarthy, a senior fellow at the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown Law in Washington, said TikTok's hope of surviving in the US may now depend less on a legal or legislative answer, and more on a geopolitical solution.
“If progress can be made on defusing the tariff challenge and tensions over Taiwan and increasing China’s exports to the US and so on, then some arrangement can be found to allow TikTok to continue to flourish in the US,” he said.
What happens to TikTok, Prof MacCarthy said, would also be a bellwether for other China-owned entities such as DeepSeek, Temu and Shein.
“The next few months are crucial, and it is much broader than TikTok,” he said. “People are deriding Trump’s approach as transactional, but he is simply taking a very broad view of the relationship and is willing to make concessions in one area in order to advance US interests in other areas.”
With its legal options exhausted, TikTok is waging a PR war, taking its fight to the streets with an advertising campaign showing how the platform helps small business owners and content creators throughout the US.
It also is trying to address concerns about the security of user data. "TikTok takes national security concerns seriously and continues to take proactive steps to ensure US user data is protected”, the company said this month. “The facts are clear: TikTok has gone further than any other platform in protecting US user data.”
Many US politicians are sceptical of such claims, including Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
“That TikTok ad is a perfect example of a Chinese Communist influence operation infiltrating and corrupting American business, culture and society,” Mr Cotton posted on X, referring to TikTok's recent 30-second TV advertisement.
Mr Cotton did not mince words before Mr Trump gave TikTok a 75-day extension.
“ByteDance and its Chinese Communist masters had nine months to sell TikTok before the Sunday deadline,” he posted on X on January 17.
Jim Louderback, a digital media expert and author of Inside the Creator Economy newsletter, said despite recent wins giving TikTok oxygen, its US future is far from assured.
“This is the law of the land passed by the Congress of the US, and the Supreme Court unequivocally didn’t turn that down,” Mr Louderback said. “The President’s powers in our government, he doesn’t have the ability to unilaterally overturn a law passed by Congress.”
He said that among the rumoured potential buyers for TikTok, should it divest, are Microsoft, billionaire Frank McCourt and YouTuber MrBeast.
“Whomever buys it – it has to be more than 50 per cent of control – all the data has to be local in the US, without ByteDance having the ability to access that data, and that’s going to be really hard to figure out, and that’s the burden that whomever buys it is going to have deal figure out.”
Mr Louderback also re-emphasised the greatest sticking point to any deal – ByteDance's reluctance to give up its controlling share of the popular social platform that has become the envy of the technology and entertainment world.
He also said TikTok's recent PR campaign and increased stance on data privacy might be aimed at the US Congress reversing the bill, which has caused it so much consternation for more than a year.
“It certainly seems like all this might be connected,” Mr Louderback added.
ByteDance did not respond to The National's requests to take part in this story, or to comment on a possible sale of the TikTok platform.
Salim A Essaid contributed to this report.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Sunday's games
All times UAE:
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace, 4pm
Manchester City v Arsenal, 6.15pm
Everton v Watford, 8.30pm
Chelsea v Manchester United, 8.30pm
Mobile phone packages comparison
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
On sale: now
Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
