Washington DC:
Hours after going dark, TikTok began restoring its services on Sunday after incoming President Donald Trump said he would revive the social media app’s access in the United States when he returns to power on Monday. The Chinese social media app also thanked Mr Trump for “providing the necessary clarity and assurance”, hours after TikTok was forced to suspend its operations in the US to comply with the Biden administration’s ban order.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the Bytedance-owned app said in the earlier statement, while it also thanked the US President-elect.
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States,” the post said.
In another message to its users, TikTok said, “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US.”
The praise for the Republican came after Donald Trump took to his Truth Social and said he is planning to issue an executive order after taking over as the 47th President of the US to delay the enforcement of the TikTok ban for 90 days.
He said would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
“I would like the United States to have a 50 per cent ownership position in a joint venture,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Mr Trump said the executive order would specify there would be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before his order.
Hours later, addressing a rally ahead of his inauguration, Mr Trump on Sunday said, “Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save it”. He added that the US will seek a joint venture to restore the short-video sharing app used by 170 million Americans.
TikTok stopped working for American users late on Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. US officials had warned that under Chinese parent company ByteDance, there was a risk of Americans’ data being misused.
Mr Trump had earlier said he would most likely give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to users on the app.
But the Republican leader’s stance to save TikTok is in stark contrast to his first term in office. In 2020, he aimed to ban the app over concerns the company was sharing Americans’ personal info with the Chinese government. More recently, 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.
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.
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