Updated on Sunday, TikTok service restored: TikTok will restore service to app users on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump announced that the company had provided “necessary clarity” that it would not face penalties.
The law upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday called for TikTok to be banned or sold by today. The app, owned by China’s ByteDance, was preemptively shut down in the United States late Saturday. President Trump will take office tomorrow and this morning announced he will issue an executive order seeking a 90-day extension.
“In agreement with our service provider, TikTok is working to restore service,” TikTok said in a post on X earlier. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that there will be no penalties.” It has made it possible for businesses to prosper. It is a strong position supporting the First Amendment and opposing arbitrary censorship. We look forward to working with President Trump on a long-term solution to keep TikTok in the United States. ”
TikTok’s move appears to apply to existing TikTok users for now, but the app doesn’t yet appear to be available for new downloads on Apple or Google’s app stores.
PREVIOUSLY: Donald Trump granted TikTok this morning 90 days to comply with laws requiring bans or sales.
TikTok shut down in the United States late Saturday, ahead of today’s deadline. As of Sunday afternoon, the app appears to be working for some users who already have accounts.
The president-elect said he would issue an executive order to suspend the ban on Monday after taking office, with the ultimate goal of 50-50 joint ventures with U.S. companies. He urged U.S. companies not to leave TikTok in the dark.
“I implore companies not to leave TikTok in the dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday that will allow us to reach agreements to keep our country safe for as long as the legal ban goes into effect.” “This order also confirms that any company that helped prevent TikTok from going dark prior to my order is not liable,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. I wrote it.
“Americans have a right to watch Monday’s exciting inauguration and other events and conversations.
“I want the US to have 50% ownership in the joint venture so we can save TikTok, keep it in good hands and claim it. US approval Without it, there would be no TikTok. With our approval, it would be worth hundreds of billions, maybe trillions of dollars.
“My first thought, therefore, is to do a joint venture between the current owners and/or the new owners, so that the United States is established between the United States and our chosen purchaser. The company will acquire 50% ownership of the joint venture.
The Protecting Americans from Regulatory Applications by Foreign Enemies Act, signed by President Biden in April and upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday after a legal battle, requires TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to put the company under the control of its U.S. owners. requesting that it be handed over to. Or banned in the US
Despite President Trump’s assurances, TikTok was still not available for upload early Sunday, but that could change. President Biden delayed implementation of the law from the Trump administration, citing tough timing, but did not provide any legal guarantees to app stores or internet service providers.
Apple’s app store states that for new downloads, “TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in your country or region.” According to the Google App Store, “Downloads of this app have been temporarily suspended due to current U.S. legal requirements.”
Users with accounts were already seeing a TikTok advisory that read, “Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable.” A law has been enacted in the United States to ban TikTok. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now,” a message on the app read. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he is willing to work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back once he takes office. Stay tuned! It now appears that the app is at least partially unlocked. is.
This is and will continue to be confusing. There will be no shortage of willing buyers, but a 50% U.S. interest does not seem to imply control, according to the law. It remains to be seen what the Trump administration has in mind for the app, which has more than 170 million users in the United States.
The algorithms that make TikTok great are intertwined with the app around the world, and the Chinese government oversees sales. It is widely believed that ByDance does not include this algorithm in its sales.
“If ByteDance were to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations, without Algorithm (ByteDance would never sell this important DNA), we envision a scenario where the price would likely be in the $40 billion to $50 billion range. We believe that,” the Wedbush analyst said. Dan Ives wrote in a Sunday memo: “We currently expect to see a number of TikTok bids for this leading social media platform in the coming weeks from a number of large technology companies/PE/other strategic companies.”
Updated Saturday as TikTok shuts down: TikTok officially shut down in the U.S. ahead of Sunday’s deadline, but said it hopes to return after President Donald Trump takes office on Monday.
The president-elect said earlier today that he would likely grant the app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, a 90-day extension under a law that requires it to be sold or sold to U.S. entities. President Biden had said he would leave implementation to the Trump administration, given the difficult timing.
“We’re sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable. A law has been enacted in the United States that bans TikTok. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now,” a message on the app reads. Ta. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he is willing to work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back once he takes office. Stay tuned!
“In the meantime, you can continue to log in and download your data,” the link says, or the site will become inactive even for users who already have an account. This app is no longer available for download from the Apple or Google app stores for new users.
The move was not surprising, as TikTok, which has more than 170 million users in the United States, threatened to go dark on Sunday without more clarity from the Biden administration about its legal position. The party had challenged the law, called the Protecting Americans from Regulatory Applications by Foreign Adversaries Act, on First Amendment grounds, but the Supreme Court ruled in an opinion issued Friday. upheld the law and was decisively defeated.
The law allows the president to extend the ban at his discretion if ByteDance continues to negotiate in good faith to sell TikTok. It’s not clear whether that has happened or will happen.
Updated Saturday, Donald Trump says: The president-elect will “likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension called for in the law upheld yesterday by the Supreme Court so that it can be sold or banned by tomorrow’s deadline. said.
In a phone interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, he said he may give TikTok a reprieve after taking office 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. “This is a huge situation,” President Trump said.
He said he had not made a final decision. Trump, who had sought to sell or ban apps during his first term, recently said he wanted to avoid banning the popular app, which has more than 170 million users in the United States.
A bipartisan bill passed by Congress last year and signed by President Biden cited national security concerns and set a Jan. 19 deadline to sell or ban TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. The Act, which protects Americans from regulatory applications by foreign adversaries, includes a 90-day extension if the sitting president determines that a sales effort is being made in good faith.
The question is what will happen tomorrow. Biden is still in power, but he is leaving the decision to the administration of Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday. The law is clear: Apple and Google should, in theory, remove TikTok from their app stores on Sunday. TikTok said yesterday that it will go dark starting tomorrow unless it gets more clarity from the current White House.
Updated Saturday with comments from the White House: It turns out TikTok is just as confused as the rest of us following this morning’s Supreme Court ruling. SCOTUS on Sunday upheld legislation that would ban the popular app, which has more than 170 million users in the United States.
This day happens to be the last day of the Biden administration, with Donald Trump set to take office on Monday. The White House said in a statement today that because of the timing, the Biden administration will leave implementation of the law to the Trump administration.
TikTok is now making itself known. We need more clarity from the Biden administration and the Department of Justice about the situation as of this Sunday, or we’ll be forced to go dark. Donald Trump has said he doesn’t want TikTok to be banned and will come up with a solution, but he hasn’t specified what or when. And he can’t officially do anything until Monday. Nothing has ever been so strange.
TikTok said in a statement: “The statements issued today by President Biden and the Department of Justice demonstrate that we have failed to provide the clarity and assurances necessary for essential service providers to make TikTok available to more than 170 million Americans. No,” he said.
“Unfortunately, TikTok will be forced to cease service on January 19th unless the Biden administration immediately provides a final statement that satisfies our most critical service providers that guarantees non-enforcement.”
The White House today released a statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressing the threat posed by TikTok. “This is a stunt, and 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. We have made our position clear and forthright. It will be up to the next administration to take action, so TikTok and other companies should take any concerns into account.”
The bipartisan Protecting Americans from Regulatory Applications of Foreign Enemies Act, a bipartisan law based on national security concerns, was signed into law by President Biden last year and gave TikTok until Sunday to sell itself to a U.S. company or be banned. I gave the conditions. There has been one offer and there has been a lot of speculation, but a sale is not imminent. If banned, it would be removed from Apple and Google’s app stores. In that case, current users will still have access to the app, but it won’t be upgraded and will have progressively reduced functionality. But the scenario that TikTok just set out on Friday is one in which things take a dark turn with TikTok in control.
It’s a bit of brinkmanship. Despite the bill’s passage, the Biden administration may not want to kill a hugely popular app as a last resort. In recent days and weeks, members of Congress, who have been inundated with voters, have also called for an extension of the ban. TikTok is holding its foot to the fire.
There are many factors at play for this for TikTok’s creators, including high advertising costs, cultural currency, U.S.-China relations, and, by law, national security. President Trump said today that he has discussed issues with the Chinese president, including about TikTok, which is owned by Chinese social media giant ByteDance. TikTok CEO Hsu Chu will meet with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago and attend the inauguration.
“On behalf of everyone at TikTok and our users across the United States, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find solutions to keep TikTok available in the United States,” he said in a video post today. said. ”
“Support from a president who truly understands our platform and has used TikTok to express his thoughts and perspectives, connect with the world, and generate over 60 billion views of his content in the process. “I’m grateful and happy to have it,” he said.
