TikTok began working again in the U.S. on Sunday following a short blackout, as incoming President Donald Trump promised more time for the popular Chinese-owned social media app to find a buyer.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” TikTok said in a post Sunday afternoon on X. “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 app went dark late Saturday before a federal law to ban it took effect Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump, who takes office Monday, had urged internet companies who provide access to TikTok to bring it back online.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Trump said on his social media site Truth Social. “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. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.
“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” Trump added. “By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up. Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions.”
President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill in April requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance to either sell the app to a U.S. buyer or face a ban. ByteDance said it would not sell the video sharing platform. The Supreme Court upheld the law in a unanimous ruling Friday.
The Biden administration had signaled that it would not begin enforcement of the law Sunday before Trump takes office Monday. Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve n to find a U.S. buyer.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at,” Trump said “The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.”
Lawmakers have raised national security concerns over TikTok’s ties to China, arguing that the app could be pressured to share user data with the Chinese government, and that it could be influenced to show certain types of content to U.S.-based users.
TikTok, which counts more than 170 million U.S.-based monthly users, filed a lawsuit arguing that the bill — the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act — violated its First Amendment rights. However, the law was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in December, which argued that the Chinese-owned app is a potential threat to national security.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments from TikTok and ByteDance earlier this month, but did not overturn the ruling ahead of the Sunday deadline.
— Britney Nguyen contributed to this article.
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