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Senators Urge Trump to Support Congressional Plan for TikTok Sale Deadline Extension

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Three Democratic senators have called on President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval for extending the deadline for ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to sell a majority stake in the app to U.S. owners. This call comes amid ongoing concerns over a potential ban of TikTok in the United States.

Earlier this year, Trump unilaterally extended the original deadline from January 19 to April 5 by postponing the enforcement of a law requiring ByteDance to divest a majority stake to U.S. investors. Trump suggested that he may further extend this deadline to provide additional time to finalize a deal.

Senators Ed Markey, Chris Van Hollen, and Cory Booker expressed concerns about the legality and the long-term future of TikTok under the current non-enforcement stance, stating that the deadline extension should be handled through legislation passed by Congress. They urged Trump to back a proposal that would extend the deadline until October. The senators emphasized the need for a legislative solution, pointing out that TikTok is used by 170 million Americans and should not be left in limbo.

In response, the White House has yet to comment, but discussions have reportedly been focusing on a plan that would involve the largest non-Chinese investors in ByteDance increasing their stakes to take over the U.S. operations of TikTok. This move aims to dilute Chinese ownership, thereby addressing national security concerns regarding the app’s potential use in influence operations.

The fate of TikTok has been uncertain for months, with some reports suggesting that the Trump administration is working on a deal involving Oracle and other investors to take control of TikTok’s U.S. operations. The senators have called for clarity from Trump regarding the legal basis for any further extensions and whether the White House is in negotiations with Oracle to manage TikTok’s user data security.

Meta to Require AI Disclosure for Political Ads Ahead of Canadian Elections

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Meta Platforms (META.O) announced on Thursday that it will require advertisers to disclose the use of AI or other digital techniques in political or social issue ads ahead of Canada’s federal elections. This move aims to combat misinformation and increase transparency in the political advertising landscape.

The new disclosure rule will apply to ads featuring photorealistic images, videos, or realistic-sounding audio that have been digitally altered to show a real person saying or doing something they did not actually say or do. It will also apply to ads showcasing non-existent individuals or fabricated events, altered footage of real events, or misleading depictions of events that may not be accurate.

In November 2023, Meta extended its ban on new political ads following the U.S. election to combat misinformation. The company also prohibited political campaigns and advertisers in regulated sectors from using its generative AI advertising tools. Despite these efforts, Meta had a setback earlier this year when it scrapped its U.S. fact-checking programs amid pressure from conservatives to overhaul its approach to political content.

Additionally, Meta has introduced a feature allowing users to disclose when they share AI-generated content, enabling the platform to label such media accordingly.

X (Formerly Twitter) Sues Indian Government Over Expanded Censorship Powers

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In a new escalation of its legal dispute with India’s government, X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has filed a lawsuit against the Indian Ministry of Information Technology (IT). The platform argues that the government’s expansion of censorship powers has unlawfully facilitated easier content removal, giving “countless” officials the authority to block online content without adequate legal safeguards.

The lawsuit, filed on March 5, claims that the Indian government has launched a new website through the Ministry of Home Affairs that allows government departments to issue content-blocking orders without stringent oversight. X argues that this mechanism bypasses the legal protections previously in place, which required content removal orders to be made only in cases of harm to national sovereignty or public order and were subject to the scrutiny of senior officials.

X’s legal team contends that the new website has created an “impermissible parallel mechanism” for censorship, allowing for “unrestrained censorship of information” within India. The platform is seeking to have the directive quashed in court.

This filing is the latest chapter in the ongoing conflict between X and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. In 2021, the platform was involved in a standoff with the Indian government over its refusal to comply with orders to block tweets related to a farmers’ protest against government policies. Though X eventually complied with these requests after facing public criticism, the legal challenge surrounding these decisions continues.

The case was briefly heard by a judge in the High Court of Karnataka state earlier this week, but no final ruling was made. The court is scheduled to hear the case again on March 27.