TikTok has been kept in the dark in the US. That's the effect of a federal law that bans the short-form video app, popular with millions of Americans, at least for now.
TikTok users began receiving messages regarding the ban starting around 10:30 pm ET on Saturday evening, and the app was also removed from the Apple and Google Play app stores.
“We're sorry, but TikTok is currently unavailable,” the company's message reads. “A law has been enacted to ban TikTok in the United States. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use TikTok at this time.”
The message also suggests that this may be only a temporary disappearance. TikTok is praising President-elect Donald Trump's statement that he will “work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back after he takes office,” and is urging users to “stay tuned!”
The company warned earlier this week that the app's demise was imminent, and on Friday said the app would go “go dark” unless President Joe Biden's administration makes a “definitive statement” that it would not enforce the ban. Ta.
Last April, bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate ordered TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the app or sell it in the U.S. due to concerns about possible Chinese surveillance and propaganda. Biden quickly signed the bill into law. Additionally, efforts to force ByteDance to sell date back to the first Trump administration, but Trump has taken a different stance recently. President Trump asked the Supreme Court to extend the ban, saying he “likely” would grant the company a 90-day extension.
The Supreme Court ruled Friday upholding the law. And the Biden administration appears inclined to leave the fate of the app in the hands of the next president. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the law would go into effect just before Trump takes office on Monday, so “action to implement the law should be left to the incoming administration.” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco issued a similar statement, saying, “The next phase of this effort, enforcing the law and ensuring compliance after it takes effect on January 19, will be a slow process. Probably.''
However, TikTok indicated that unless the Biden administration makes the aforementioned “definitive statement,” that is not enough to ensure that “critical service providers” continue to list and host the app in the United States. did. Jean-Pierre called TikTok's response a “stunt” and argued that “there is no reason for TikTok or any other company to take action in the days leading up to the Trump administration's inauguration on Monday.”
Stunt or not, TikTok is dead for now.
Regarding the app's long-term prospects, President Trump said he intended to “negotiate a resolution” that would likely involve a divestment from ByteDance and other concessions, but ByteDance is not interested in a sale. However, he seems optimistic about the outlook under the Trump administration.
President Trump reiterated to NBC News on Saturday that he is “likely” to grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve from its ban after he takes office on Monday.
“I think that would certainly be an option that we would consider. A 90-day extension is appropriate, so it's probably going to happen. Yeah, that's appropriate. We'll have to look at it very closely. It's a huge situation,” President Trump told the media.
He posted on Sunday morning that he would issue an executive order on Monday to delay the ban, and also for “a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners in which the United States would obtain a 50% ownership interest.” expressed interest.
From billionaire Frank McCourt doing a “people's bid” to perplexity AI proposing a merger, a number of potential buyers are taking aim at TikTok's 170 million users and throwing them into the ring. .
There were even reports suggesting that the Chinese government was considering a sale to Elon Musk as part of a broader deal with the Trump administration. A TikTok spokesperson called the report “pure fiction.”
Meanwhile, Chinese-owned alternatives like RedNote and Lemon8 are gaining traction as TikTok users search for alternatives. However, Lemon8, also owned by ByteDance, is also one of the currently blocked apps.
This post has been updated to reflect President Trump's remarks Sunday morning and additional apps blocked by law.
