Services of video content platform, TikTok has begun to come back online for some users within the United States, Reuters have reported. The Byte dance-owned platform indicated, in a statement, today that it is restoring services after President-elect Donald Trump said he would revive the app’s access in the U.S. when he returns to power on Monday.
“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,” a message notified users of TikTok today.
The company also thanked Trump for “providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties (for) providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
“As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.,” the platform said.
Recall that TikTok stopped working for users in the U.S. late on Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. TikTok has been battling for months with a bill signed into law by President Biden in April 2024. The move mandates ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations to another owner by January 19 or face a ban that will halt its download on download App stores.
Though there has been a series of appeals from two TikTok operating entities and a group of U.S. TikTok users who requested that the ban (a result of the new Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act) be dismissed on First Amendment (free speech) grounds.
In a court session held last Friday, the legislation said it does not forbid app usage but would require tech giants such as Apple and Google to stop offering it and inhibit updates, which analysts suggest would run down over time.
The bill followed years of allegations from the U.S. government that TikTok’s ties to China pose a national security risk and that it exposes Americans’ sensitive information to the Chinese government.
The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform. The law passed overwhelmingly by Congress gives the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.
Other apps owned by ByteDance, including video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in U.S. app stores as of late Saturday.
Reactions to TikTok ban
Uncertainty over the app’s future had sent users to seek alternatives, especially Chinese-owned RedNote. Rivals Meta and Snap saw their share prices rise ahead of the ban, as investors bet on an influx of users and advertising dollars.
Web searches for “VPN” spiked in the minutes after U.S. users lost access to TikTok, according to Google Trends. Users on Instagram also fretted about whether they would still receive merchandise they had bought on TikTok Shop, the video platform’s e-commerce arm.
Suitors including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion. Media reports say Beijing has also held talks about selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, though the company has denied that.
Read also: All you need to know about RedNote, the Chinese app that may “replace” TikTok
Counting on Trump’s new support…
President Trump said on his social platform last week that he would extend the period before the prohibitions take effect. According to him, this would allow the government to make a deal to protect American national security. “I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump saving TikTok represents a reversal in stance from his first term in office. In August 2020, Trump signed an executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok but then blessed a deal structured as a partnership rather than a divestment that would have included both Oracle and Walmart taking stakes in the new company.
Now, Trump has said he has “a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” crediting the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 election. TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew also reportedly plans to attend the U.S. presidential inauguration and attend a rally with Trump on Sunday, a source told Reuters.
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