TikTok faces shutdown as commerce secretary pressures ByteDance over US control
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made it clear that if China does not approve the proposed deal, TikTok will be forced to stop operating in the United States.
– Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, July 2025
The current proposal would create a new, US-based version of TikTok, run and majority-owned by American investors. While ByteDance could retain a small stake, the key point of contention is the algorithm – the software that determines what content users see. Lutnick stressed that the US must not only own the company's infrastructure but also control the algorithm itself. This is not the first time Washington has demanded a TikTok divestiture, as you know by now. A law passed in 2024 required ByteDance to sell or shut down TikTok's US operations by January 19, 2025. President Trump has delayed that deadline three times, most recently granting an extension to September 17. But that flexibility has done little to move the deal forward.Talks had made progress earlier this year, but they stalled after China signaled it would not approve the transaction – especially following Trump's announcement of new tariffs on Chinese imports. Yeah, it's not surprising this didn't have any effect.The situation has also drawn legal challenges and political disagreement. Some Democratic lawmakers argue that Trump does not have the authority to keep extending the deadline. They also question whether the proposed deal would meet the legal requirements of the 2024 law. Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent letters to Apple, Google, and other tech firms that host TikTok, assuring them the Justice Department would not pursue legal action if they continued to support the app during the delay.Meanwhile, another potential buyer has backed out of the deal, as we told you the other day. Blackstone has withdrawn from a group of investors aiming to take over TikTok's American operations, citing delays tied to US-China trade tensions.
I don't think a conclusion will be reached on September 17, the way things are going.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Phone Arena
6 hours ago
- Phone Arena
If Verizon and AT&T don't speed up, the US will hand Europe the 5G SA crown
For once, Europe may be ahead of the US. We told you how US users might enjoy 6G before those on the Old Continent, but as far as SA 5G (Standalone 5G) goes, things are different. US carriers need to step up! We often talk about Standalone 5G here – and currently, it's only T-Mobile that offers it to its customers in the US. Think of SA 5G as the full version of 5G that works on its own network, built from the ground up, while regular 5G – often called non-standalone 5G (NSA) – still relies on older 4G infrastructure. With SA 5G, everything runs on the newer, faster 5G tech, which means lower lag, better reliability, and the ability to support more advanced features like smart factories or self-driving cars. Regular 5G is mainly about fast download speeds but doesn't offer the full benefits of 5G's potential. There's a recent report from research company Dell'Oro Group that's focused on the global rollout of standalone 5G (SA 5G) and how it's starting to pick up speed. According to the findings, this shift could lead to faster growth in the mobile network market, with the potential to expand even more as new technologies like generative AI and intelligent digital assistants demand constant, low-delay connections. The report estimates that 70 mobile network operators (MNOs) across 39 countries have now deployed SA 5G. In 2025 alone, five new networks went live, including Orange in France, Romania, and Slovakia; Vodafone in Spain; and O2 in the Czech Republic. Dell'Oro also broke down the current numbers by region: five networks in North America, 26 in Europe, seven in the Middle East and Africa, 13 in Northeast Asia, 13 in Southeast Asia, and six in Latin America. – Dell'Oro Group in a statement, July 2025 So far, many of these carriers are using SA 5G mainly for businesses and for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) – a type of internet service that uses 5G instead of traditional cables to deliver home internet. However, Dell'Oro expects that more mobile providers will soon start offering SA 5G directly to regular the United States, Verizon has suggested it has a nationwide SA 5G network already in place, pointing to its support for emergency response services that require strong, reliable coverage. Verizon didn't comment for Fierce Network on which companies are currently using its new 5G tools, like the ability to customize parts of the network for specific tasks (a concept known as network slicing). AT&T's progress is less clear. Dell'Oro and reporters have asked the company how far its SA 5G network reaches, but no specific details have been shared yet. Be it as it may, the good news is that more updates are expected as US carriers continue to expand and clarify their standalone 5G rollouts: the future is coming.
GSM Arena
10 hours ago
- GSM Arena
Samsung Galaxy A17 renders leak
Mere hours ago, we reported that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A17 received a certification on its way to launch, and now we're back talking about it since a bunch of official-looking renders depicting it have been outed. All of the images below show the phone in the same dark gray / black colorway except the last one, which gives us a glimpse at a different hue. Samsung Galaxy A17 leaked images The phone we're talking about here is the 5G version, it's still unclear if it will be the only one or if Samsung will also release a 4G iteration like it did last year for its predecessor. With that out of the way, let's talk specs. The source of these renders confirms the Exynos 1380 SoC which was already outed through a benchmark run. We should apparently also expect a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, a triple rear camera setup with a 50 MP main snapper, a 5 MP ultrawide, and a 2 MP macro, and a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 25W wired charging. More Samsung Galaxy A17 leaked images A previous leak also told us that the main camera would have OIS for the first time in a Samsung in this price range. As you can see from the images, the A17 has a huge chin below the screen and a waterdrop notch, making for a rather vintage look in this day and age. It looks like the main upgrades in the A17 compared to the A16 will be the chipset and the OIS support in the main camera. Everything else seems to have remained identical, including, allegedly, the dimensions. In the US, the Galaxy A17 will be sold by T-Mobile for sure, but perhaps other carriers as well. The Galaxy A16 has by some measurements been Samsung's best-selling phone recently, and so its successor has a lot to live up to. It's expected to become official in October. Samsung Galaxy A16 Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Source
Phone Arena
11 hours ago
- Phone Arena
Google's Pixel lineup secure a comfortable spot in the U.S. smartphone growth competition
This progress puts Google just ahead of TCL, which had previously edged out Pixel in shipment volumes. TCL's presence declined significantly this quarter, dropping 23% year over year to around 700,000 units. Other smaller brands also saw a steep drop, with shipments down 34%. Google now sits just behind Motorola, which remains in third place with a 12% share and 3.2 million units shipped. While Motorola's growth this quarter was only 2%, it still far outpaces Google in scale. At the top of the market, Apple remains the US leader with 13.3 million iPhones shipped, although that figure represents an 11% decline compared to the same period last year. Samsung, in contrast, saw the biggest leap: a 38% increase, shipping 8.3 million units and capturing 31% of the market. Canalys credits this to the success of Samsung's Galaxy A-series. Canalys Smartphone Market Pulse Q2 2025. | Image credit — Canalys For Google, the growth is notable but slowing. In 2023, Pixel was estimated to account for close to 5% of the US market, suggesting the brand has dipped slightly in relative terms, even if shipments are up. With the Pixel 10 series expected to launch in August, Q3 could be more telling. Last year's Pixel 9 series helped the company reach its highest-ever quarterly sales. Still, breaking into the US smartphone market at scale remains difficult. Over 90% of all smartphone shipments in the US are controlled by Apple, Samsung, and Motorola. This leaves little room for other players to grow. Canalys notes that brands like OnePlus and Nothing are taking a different approach, focusing on unlocked sales through their websites and retailers like Best Buy and Amazon, instead of relying on carrier deals. But this strategy hasn't led to major market share gains yet. Overall, Google's steady rise is a bright spot in a challenging environment. Compared to Samsung's aggressive growth and Apple's dominance, Pixel remains a small but growing alternative that's slowly carving out a space of its own — and I'm definitely here for it. Bring on more competition!
