President Donald Trump was right to push for a TikTok ban in 2020, and he now has the power to finish what he started. Pausing the ban only helps China, giving them more time to stall, collect data and weaken U.S. resolve. 

In 2020, Trump signed an executive order to ban TikTok in the U.S. His administration argued the app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, could allow China’s government to access Americans’ personal data. Courts blocked the ban at the time, but the concerns never fully went away.

Four years later, Congress took action by passing the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations by January or shut down the app entirely. The law addressed the same security issues Trump raised years ago. This time, however, the ban would hold up in court.

TikTok initially challenged the ban, but the Supreme Court upheld it on Jan. 17, three days before Trump took office. That should have settled the issue, but Trump signed an executive order pausing enforcement for 75 days. His administration says the delay allows time for a deal to sell TikTok to a U.S. company. However, that deal has been deliberated for years, and nothing has happened.

While the ban is delayed, ByteDance continues to collect large amounts of data from its millions of American users. This includes location tracking, browsing history and biometric identifiers such as facial recognition data. Unlike U.S. companies, ByteDance is based in China and operates under Chinese regulations. This is critical because China’s National Intelligence Law requires Chinese companies to provide data to the government upon request. Even if ByteDance says it operates independently, it has no right to refuse demands by the Chinese government.

China previously used similar tactics by forcing major corporations, including Alibaba and Tencent, to comply with state directives. When Chinese tech giant Didi Chuxing attempted to resist government oversight after its U.S. initial public offering, Chinese regulators cracked down on it, which wiped billions off its market value and forced it to restructure. The same could happen to ByteDance if it ever tried to deny access to TikTok’s data. By delaying the ban’s enforcement, the U.S. is giving China more time to pressure ByteDance into deepening its ties to the government.

Beyond privacy concerns, TikTok’s algorithm also poses another threat: The platform’s ability to control what users see makes it a powerful tool for influencing public opinion. The app may potentially shape national conversations in ways that benefit Beijing. Congress and the Supreme Court recognized these dangers when they approved and upheld the law.

Some argue banning TikTok would hurt free speech and small businesses, but national security should come first. Creators and businesses have plenty of other platforms to use. TikTok is the only major social media company owned by a foreign adversary, so the law is clear.

Ultimately, Trump should reverse his executive order and enforce the law.