As predicted—but a bit earlier than expected—TikTok shut down for users in the United States at around 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 18.
The app first became glitchy, and then a message appeared.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.,” it read. “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
However, it was the second part of the message that offered a hint of what might happen next. It also raised some eyebrows.
“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!”
TikTok was also removed from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play app store for Android on Saturday evening. Additionally, other apps owned by its China-based parent company, ByteDance, also went offline in the U.S., including CapCut, a video-editing app, and Lemon8, another social media app.
following the Supreme Court’s ruling, TikTok shut down on Saturday, Jan. 18
On Friday, Jan. 17, the Supreme Court upheld the Dec. 6 judgment by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. That judgment affirmed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which legalized concerns about the national security risks posed by TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
The so-called “ban” does not actually make TikTok illegal in the U.S. However, the law imposes fines of $5,000 per user on hosting companies like Apple, Google and Oracle. ByteDance made the decision to pull the app to avoid the fees to their partners.
On Saturday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the shutdown a “stunt.”
“We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration. So TikTok and other companies should take up any concerns with them,” she added.
The Biden Administration called the TikTok Shutdown a ‘stunt’
So, what’s next?
Trump has hinted at plans to “save” the app—though his previous administration was unsuccessful in getting ByteDance to sell its stake in the app to a party not located in a country deemed a “foreign adversary.”
The incoming POTUS recently told NBC News that he would “most likely” issue a 90-day extension to the Jan. 19 deadline. In order to do that, however, Trump would have to show Congress legal agreements that ByteDance is prepared to divest its ownership in TikTok. The company has previously stated that it would not consider selling its U.S. stake in the app without its proprietary technology, including the all-knowing “algorithm.”
Another option would be for Congress to pass a stopgap law to give ByteDance more time to sell or amend the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. However, the law passed the House of Representatives with a 360-58 vote and the Senate by 79-18 last year. President Biden signed it into law on April 24.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is slated to attend Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. In a statement following the Supreme Court’s decision, he thanked Trump for his “commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States. This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
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