Synopsis
TikTok has been rendered inaccessible in the U.S. on January 19, 2025, due to a law necessitating its sale by ByteDance. Users encountered a shutdown message, and President-elect Trump hinted at a possible extension for the app. The White House emphasized TikTok's compliance with the new regulations.Key Takeaways
- TikTok is unavailable in the U.S. due to a new law.
- President-elect Trump may grant a 90-day extension.
- Users expressed support for TikTok after the Supreme Court's ruling.
- ByteDance faces pressure to sell the app to an American company.
- Other ByteDance apps are also affected by this ban.
Los Angeles, Jan 19 (NationPress) The widely-used video-sharing platform TikTok experienced a shutdown late Saturday evening in the United States.
Users trying to access TikTok encountered a message stating: "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now", according to reports from Xinhua news agency.
The message further explained: "A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Regrettably, that means you cannot access TikTok at this moment". It added: "We are grateful that President Trump has expressed his willingness to collaborate with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he assumes office. Please stay tuned!"
Earlier on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump indicated that he would "most likely" grant TikTok a 90-day extension on Inauguration Day, which falls on Monday.
In a conversation with NBC News, Trump mentioned he had not yet reached a final conclusion regarding TikTok but was contemplating a 90-day extension beyond the Sunday deadline.
"I believe that would certainly be an option we consider. The 90-day extension is something that will likely occur, as it’s appropriate," Trump stated during the phone interview. "We must analyze it carefully. It’s a significant issue."
TikTok, which has its headquarters in Los Angeles, cautioned on Friday that it would have to shut down its services for the 170 million users in the United States on Sunday unless President Joe Biden provided a "definitive" assurance.
The U.S. Supreme Court had previously upheld a law mandating TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to an American entity or face a nationwide ban starting on Sunday, just a day before Trump's inauguration.
Following this ruling, millions of users rushed to TikTok's platform to voice their support for the service.
The White House quickly responded to the Supreme Court's decision, shifting the onus to TikTok and Trump.
In April 2024, Biden enacted a bill that required ByteDance to divest the app within 270 days, citing unproven national security fears.
If ByteDance fails to comply, the law states that app store operators like Apple and Google must eliminate TikTok from their platforms beginning January 19, 2025.
Industry experts raised alarms that unless the Biden administration clarifies that TikTok's service providers will not face penalties for breaching the ban, these firms would have to follow the law.
Other ByteDance apps including Lemon8, CapCut, Hypic, Gauth, and MARVEL SNAP also became inaccessible to U.S. users Saturday night.
Apple issued a statement on its website regarding the "availability of TikTok and ByteDance Ltd. apps in the United States."
"TikTok and ByteDance Ltd. apps are no longer accessible in the United States, and visitors in the United States might encounter limited feature access," it read.
"Apple is required to comply with the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates," Apple stated, adding, "In accordance with the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, applications developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries – including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others – will not be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025."
"If you have these applications already installed, they will remain on your device. However, they cannot be redownloaded if deleted or restored if you switch to a new device. In-app purchases and new subscriptions will no longer be possible," Apple noted.
According to the statement, ByteDance's applications continue to be available for download in all other countries and regions.
