President Joe Biden has decided to sign an executive order that lifts the ban on TikTok in the United States.

TikTok can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as the United States has lifted its ban on the hugely popular video-sharing app. In addition to reversing the Trump administration’s ban on the Chinese video-sharing app, Biden signed additional executive orders to protect US information and communications supply chains from Chinese monitoring. TikTok was not the only recipient of the ban lift in the United States but that decision was also applied to the WeChat app.

“Today, President Biden signed an Executive Order (E.O.) to further address the ongoing national emergency declared in E.O. 13873 of May 15, 2019, with respect to the threat posed to the United States’ information and communications technology and services (ICTS) supply chain. President Biden revoked and replaced three E.O.s that aimed to prohibit transactions with TikTok, WeChat, and eight other communications and financial technology software applications; two of these E.O.s are subject to litigation,” the executive order read.

The new directive comes after a series of reversals by President Biden from Trump’s administration in 2020. This recent move will formally lift TikTok’s restriction on Chinese apps, putting an end to uncertainty over their future in the United States. The previous administration labeled TikTok as a dangerous app that may imperil US individuals’ personal information at the demand of the Chinese government. As a result, the rules regarding TikTok were tightened. TikTok made several attempts to persuade the US of its security procedures, even going so far as to sue the US government.

The previous administration’s tougher attitude came after India’s initial ban on TikTok, as well as 58 other Chinese applications, on June 29, 2020, in the aftermath of a military skirmish that claimed the lives of 20 Indian troops near the northern border. On January 25, 2021, India permanently prohibited TikTok and a number of other popular Chinese applications. However, US President Biden’s executive order will finally put an end to TikTok’s uncertain future in the US and let it function freely alongside WeChat.

In the United States, TikTok has over 100 million users and continues to be a key market for its development and sustainability. That’s why banning the app may not be the smartest move at this point. Read more on TikTok’s bulk delete feature that aims to combat cyberbullying.

Photo via Olivier Douliery/AFP