TikTok Returns in U.S. After Going Dark Ahead of Ban Deadline
After a black-out that lasted for about 14 hours, TikTok has been restored in the U.S. The app returned after President-elect Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday morning, writing, “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.” He added he “would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture” and that his executive order would protect from liability any companies that helped keep TikTok accessible before the order is issued.
TikTok issued a statement saying, “In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service.”
The law banning TikTok in the United States officially took effect on Sunday, but the platform temporarily went dark as of late Saturday evening. Earlier on Saturday, TikTok had already begun to warn users that the service would be “temporarily unavailable,” though it remained viewable for much of the day.
By Saturday night at around 10:30 p.m. ET, however, the landing page and outgoing messages to users read: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” the message continued. “In the meantime, you can still log in to download your data.” Lemon8, another social media app owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance, also ceased to function in the U.S. temporarily.
President-elect Trump indicated on Saturday that he plans to extend the deadline for the ban by 90-days after he takes office on Monday, telling NBC it “will be most likely done” and announced on Monday. It’s unclear how he will specifically enact this plan.
President Joe Biden signed bipartisan legislation last spring giving ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, until Jan. 19 to sell the platform or face a ban in the United States. The law was challenged by both TikTok and a group of creators, but the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ban last month, and the Supreme Court upheld it on Friday. Both courts ruled unanimously that the law is constitutional.
The ban prohibits companies like Apple and Google from hosting TikTok in their app stores. The Biden administration said last week, though, that it would not enforce the law, and that it should ultimately be up to incoming President Donald Trump to decide how to handle the ban. “Given the sheer fact of timing, this administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration, which takes office on Monday,” Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday.
It’s unclear what actions Trump may take to keep TikTok alive in America, but it certainly appears like he’s going to try to make it happen. Trump invited TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to his inauguration, and has spoken warmly of the platform, citing how popular he has been on it. “The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it,” he wrote Friday on Truth Social. “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”
This story was updated on Jan. 19, 2025 to include that Lemon8 has also gone dark and updated at 4:05 p.m. to note that TikTok is accessible again in the U.S.
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