TikTok restores service in the US based on Trump promise
From backing a ban to being hailed the platform’s saviour, president-elect Donald Trump has no problem shifting sides on TikTok.
Social media platform TikTok welcomes back US users after being unavailable on January 18 following a US Supreme Court ban. Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images via AFPJust hours after going dark, TikTok began restoring service to users in the United States on Sunday. The popular video-sharing social platform had shut down across the US in response to a federal ban, which president-elect Donald Trump promised to pause via executive order.
Trump’s first day in office is Monday. He said he planned to issue an order giving TikTok’s China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer before the ban takes full effect.
Trump announced the move on Truth Social, a social media platform he owns, as millions of US TikTok users discovered they could no longer access the app or platform on Saturday night. A pop-up message on their screens greeted them: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,” it continued. “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
But by Sunday afternoon, the message changed, welcoming users back and thanking them and the president-elect for their support: “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US!”
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TikTok said it shut down the platform late Saturday because of a federal law that required parent company ByteDance to sell its US operation by Sunday. Google and Apple also removed TikTok from their digital stores. The law, passed with wide two-party support in April, allows steep fines.
The company that runs TikTok in the US said on X – formerly Twitter – that the steps Trump outlined Sunday provided “the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties.” The TikTok app, however, remained unavailable for download.
“It was a brilliant marketing stunt for both TikTok and incoming president Donald Trump,” Jasmine Enberg, an analyst with market research firm Emarketer, said. “By abruptly shutting off service, TikTok proved how unpopular the ban was among its users.”
Why was TikTok banned?
The law that took effect Sunday required ByteDance to cut ties with the platform’s US operations due to national security concerns.
However, the statute authorised the sitting president to grant a 90-day extension if a viable sale was under way. Although investors made some offers, ByteDance has said it would not sell.
Trump said his order would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” and “confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”
It is unclear how Trump’s promised action will fare from a legal standpoint as the US Supreme Court unanimously upheld the ban on Friday, and the statute came into force the day before Trump’s return to the White House. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin and the bill’s author, said on Fox News Sunday that “there is no extension” for TikTok.
“Let me tell you, as the person who wrote the bill, the extension was within the 270-day window, which closed at 12.01am this morning,” he said, adding that there would only be an extension if the president certifies there are “legally binding documents” showing a process of selling is under way.
What’s next for TikTok?
Some lawmakers who voted for the sale-or-ban law, including some of Trump’s fellow Republicans, remain in favour of it.
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas warned companies Sunday not to provide TikTok with technical support.
“Any company that hosts, distributes, services or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability under the law,” Cotton wrote on X. “Think about it.”
Constitutional and business lawyer Kirk McGill said it is unlikely that Apple or Google will face legal consequences if they move forward with Trump’s demands, given that his administration would have to initiate any prosecutions.
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Apple told customers it also took down other apps developed by ByteDance. They included Lemon8, which some influencers had promoted as a TikTok alternative, the popular video editing app CapCut and photo editor Hypic.
After TikTok came back online, content creator Tiffany Watson, 20, said she was “pretty hopeful” it would stay up. At the same time, she noted she had become less dedicated to the platform when the threat of a ban loomed over her.
“Overall, I hope that creators will succeed and find community despite the unpredictability of TikTok,” she said.