TikTok has disabled its application for American users. Following a legal defeat in the Supreme Court regarding a divest-or-ban law, the company made the decision to shut down its app for US users. The shutdown is not necessarily permanent, as TikTok is optimistic that President-elect Donald Trump may intervene. The app was turned off for US users on Saturday, ahead of the January 19 deadline mandated for the app to cease operations. After a lengthy legal battle, TikTok was unable to overcome the law requiring its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to divest from its US operations. A message informing users of the ban appeared on the screen starting at around 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The Supreme Court ruling against TikTok’s challenge dealt a final blow, and although President Joe Biden’s administration indicated it would not enforce the ban, TikTok still needed assurances from the incoming administration to avoid going dark. Despite the setback in the US, TikTok will continue operating globally, with over 1 billion users worldwide in 2021. The app’s creators and users expressed sadness over the loss and contemplated life without TikTok. Some influencers made plans to transition to other platforms, while marketers prepared for potential shifts in advertising strategies. Despite the challenges, there remains hope that TikTok may make a comeback, with the company aiming for a political solution to save the app. President-elect Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of granting TikTok a 90-day extension to find a non-Chinese buyer for the platform.
President Trump is considering a 90-day extension for the popular social media platform TikTok in the United States. “It’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump stated, hinting at a potential extension during a recent interview. The final decision is expected to be announced on Monday.
In response, TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew expressed gratitude towards the incoming administration for collaborating on finding a solution to keep the app accessible to American users. This comes as legal experts suggest that Trump’s options to address concerns over TikTok’s data security are limited under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
One possible solution discussed is the separation of TikTok’s US operations from its global entity. However, TikTok’s lawyer, Noel Francisco, has highlighted the complexities involved in such a move, emphasizing the challenges in dividing the platform on a legal timeline.
President Trump recently shared his intentions to make a decision regarding TikTok following a thorough review of the situation. Stay tuned for updates on this evolving story.
