Official announcement: TikTok has suspended its service in the United States for the time being.
The ByteDance-owned app was announced as of late Saturday (January 18) to over 170 million people in the US ahead of the enforcement of a law on Sunday (January 19) that effectively bans the app from the market. User went offline.
The Supreme Court on Friday (Jan. 17) upheld a law that would require TikTok to sell its U.S. operations to avoid a shutdown in the U.S., citing security concerns due to its ties to the Chinese government.
TikTok is currently displaying the following message to users trying to access the platform from within the United States.
“A law has been enacted in the United States that bans TikTok. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok at this time.”
“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, your data will continue to be available for download.”
Google and Apple also removed TikTok from their app stores to comply with the law.
In addition to TikTok, other ByteDance-owned apps have also been taken offline in the US, including video editing platform CapCut and Instagram rival Lemon8.
TikTok will be “forced to operate underground” in the U.S. “unless the Biden administration immediately provides a definitive statement to the satisfaction of our most critical service providers that guarantees that enforcement will not be enforced,” TikTok said Friday following the Supreme Court’s ruling. I warned you that it would be.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Saturday that the threat to shut down TikTok in the United States was a “stunt.”
Jean-Pierre said: “We saw the latest statement from TikTok. It’s a stunt.”
“We have stated our position clearly and openly, and it will be up to the next administration to take action to implement this law. TikTok and other companies should therefore take any and all concerns to heart.”
The Protecting Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act targets apps owned by companies from countries the United States considers national security threats. Joe Biden signed this law in April 2024.
The company is currently considering an executive order to suspend the law, as shown by the message that TikTok’s U.S. users are currently seeing when they try to log into the app. They are betting on the president’s political intervention.
The proposed suspension would give the Trump administration time to find a buyer for TikTok’s U.S. operations or find another solution, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday (January 15).
“A 90-day extension is appropriate and will most likely occur,” President Trump told NBC News on Saturday. He added: “We need to think carefully. It’s a very big situation.”
In an interview with NBC, the president-elect added, “If we decide to do that, we’ll probably make an announcement on Monday.”
President Trump’s inauguration ceremony is also scheduled to take place on Monday (January 20).
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew responded to the Supreme Court’s ruling in a video message on Friday, saying, “Trump is committed to working with us to find a solution to make TikTok available in the United States. He thanked the President for his dedicated efforts.
Mr Chu said: “As you know, we honor the constitutional right of free speech for the more than 170 million Americans who use our platform every day to connect, create, discover, and realize their dreams. have fought to protect.
“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 a solution to keep TikTok available in the United States.”
“We want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find a solution to keep TikTok available in the United States.”
Show Gee Chu, TikTok
He added: “This is a strong position in support of the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. As we’ve said, TikTok is a place where people can create communities, discover new interests, and express themselves. is the place where you can express yourself, and the 7 million+ American businesses that use our platform to earn a living and win new customers are the ones who use our platform to earn a living and win new customers.
“We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform. We use TikTok to express our thoughts and perspectives, connect with the world, and empower ourselves in the process. who have generated over 60 billion views of their content.
TikTok’s CEO reportedly plans to attend President Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
TikTok’s parent company previously indicated it had no intention of selling the app in the United States.
ByteDance’s powerful recommendation algorithm is a key issue behind the company’s unwillingness to sell the app’s U.S. operations.
In more than two hours of oral arguments last Friday (January 10), TikTok’s lawyers told the Supreme Court about the difficulty of operating the TikTok app in the United States without the recommendation algorithm that powers TikTok globally. talked about.
The app’s recommendation algorithm powers the “For You feed,” which ByteDance and TikTok describe as “one of the hallmarks of the TikTok platform.”
Reuters reported last year that unless TikTok’s parent company could challenge the bill in court, it would be “preferable” to shut down the app in the United States.
The same source also said at the time that TikTok shares “the same core algorithms” with other ByteDance-owned apps, including TikTok’s China-based sister app Douyin.
They added that shutting down TikTok in the US “would have limited impact” on the company’s global business, and further added that shutting down TikTok rather than selling it to a US-based company “There will be no need to make a profit,” he added. Enhance core algorithms. ”
Reuters also reported that the short-form video app’s U.S. operations “represent a small portion of ByteDance’s total revenue and daily active users.”
At this point, it’s unclear how long TikTok will be offline in the United States.
This is a fast-moving story, and service could be restored as soon as Monday if President Trump steps in with an executive order delaying the law.
However, prolonged downtime could have a major impact on promotional activities in the music industry, especially in the United States.
Superstar artists from Billie Eilish to Taylor Swift to Post Malone have used TikTok as a key part of their marketing efforts in recent months.
The campaign was likely planned for the coming weeks and months, but is currently stalled as the industry awaits news on TikTok’s long-term fate in the US.
Friday’s Supreme Court ruling was welcomed by both the White House and the U.S. Department of Justice.
“The court’s decision will enable the Department of Justice to prevent the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to undermine U.S. national security,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
He added, “Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to the sensitive data of millions of Americans. The court’s ruling ensures that this law protects our national security, consistent with the Constitution.” I confirmed that.”
The outgoing Biden administration reacted to Friday’s Supreme Court ruling, saying, “President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, ever since Congress sent the overwhelmingly bipartisan bill to the president’s desk. TikTok. should remain available to American citizens, but only under U.S. ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in crafting this law. is.
“Given the sheer facts of timing, the current administration recognizes that action to implement this law should be left to the next administration, which takes office on Monday.
Last Thursday (January 9), Project Liberty, founded by billionaire entrepreneur Frank McCourt, formally made what it called a “people’s bid” against TikTok, giving the platform a The company said it aims to restart the company on a “new American-made digital infrastructure.” ”.
Project Liberty said it has the “financial ability to complete the transaction,” including “expressions of interest for sufficient equity capital from investors including major private equity funds, family offices and high-net-worth individuals.” Ta. It also has access to debt financing from “one of the largest banks in the United States,” he said.
Bloomberg reported this week that tech billionaire Elon Musk could save the app.
Bloomberg reported on Monday (January 13), citing people familiar with the matter, that “Chinese authorities are considering the potential option for Musk to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations if the app is banned. It is said that
Bloomberg added: “It’s unclear whether the billionaires, TikTok and ByteDance have had any discussions.”
In a response to the media after the Bloomberg report, a TikTok spokesperson said, “We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction.”
Perplexity AI is also reportedly interested in merging with TikTok in the US. world music business
