TikTok suspended its service in the United States late Saturday, just before a federal ban on the Chinese-owned short video app went into effect.
This app is no longer available on Apple's iOS App Store or Google's Play Store. In April, the U.S. Congress passed a law requiring parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner or face complete shutdown. I chose the latter.
TikTok said the sale was “commercially, technically and legally impossible.” The company stuck to that policy until the end.
It took five years for the app to disappear. Donald Trump first proposed banning TikTok by executive order in mid-2020, but was unsuccessful. Various lawmakers proposed similar measures, but only one passed. The Protecting Americans from Control Applications by Foreign Adversaries Act was passed, requiring TikTok to be sold or banned.
“A law has been enacted to ban TikTok in the United States. Unfortunately, you cannot use TikTok at this time.” Fortunately, once President Trump takes office, he will work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back. It shows intention. Stay tuned,” a message to users trying to use the app appeared.
TikTok's lawyers told the Supreme Court that the app will “cease use” on January 19th. After TikTok disappears from the app store and no new downloads or updates are available, TikTok will gradually become obsolete while the ban continues. Without regular maintenance, the smooth functioning of the app may be disrupted and it may become vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
TikTok fought this action vigorously in court, arguing without success that blocking the much-loved app would violate its right to free speech. It seemed like the bill might die before it became law, as in Montana, where a similar provision became the first state in the U.S. to ban TikTok within its borders in 2023. The state law was overturned before it took effect.
Two days before ByteDance was due to sell the popular app used by 170 million Americans, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the law was constitutional and its provisions should remain. did. Biden said he would leave enforcement of the bill to Trump. The White House said in a statement Friday that TikTok “should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership.”
In response to the ruling, TikTok chief Shou Chiu called on the president-elect to save the app. “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,” he said in a video posted to TikTok. Ta. .
At the 11th hour, Trump tried to intervene on TikTok's behalf before the Supreme Court, even though Trump himself is the author of the ban. He drew attention to the app after gaining a large audience during the 2024 presidential campaign. He is scheduled to take office on Monday and could order the Justice Department not to implement the bill, but said the Supreme Court's ruling “should be:”respected”.It is unclear whether he will be able to completely avoid the TikTok ban.
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President Trump said Saturday that he would likely give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a potential ban after taking office on Monday.
“The 90-day extension is appropriate and will most likely be implemented,” he told NBC. “If we decide to do that, we'll probably announce it on Monday.”
US TikTok users have been leaking to Chinese video-sharing app Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) rather than YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels, both of which are likely to gain traction after the ban.
One user said: “Before you look at your Instagram Reels, dropship your DNA to the doorstep of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Report contributed by Reuters
