At the very least, it can be said that the ban on TikTok in the US has been dramatic. In just 24 hours, TikTok and other apps owned by Chinese company ByteDance were banned and unbanned in the country. And in between that time, there was new US President Donald Trump involved, talk of selling 50 percent ownership of TikTok in the US, Elon Musk suggesting that “something needs to change”, and much more. There are also questions about why the app was being banned in the first place, and why was it suddenly removed? If you want a quick rundown of what’s happened around the TikTok ban in the US, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a 5-point explanation of everything you need to know about the TikTok drama.

Why was TikTok banned in America?

For a few weeks, TikTok was facing a January 19 deadline for a ban in the US. The threat of a ban was over national security concerns surrounding its parent company ByteDance. The US government claims that TikTok’s parent company has colluded with the Chinese government and fears that its apps could collect data from US users like their location, phone records, messages, etc.

This has been a long standing issue. Authorities in the US were also pressuring ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US operations, however, the company decided to completely shut down its operations in the US until the US Supreme Court overturned the ban. If the ban was not lifted, TikTok was shut down in America on Sunday morning.

The US Supreme Court issued a ruling last week that upheld a law signed by US President Joe Biden in April to ban TikTok in the country.

How was Donald Trump involved in this?

Interestingly, the timing of the ban on TikTok in the US coincides with the transition to a new administration in the country. The Biden White House handed over enforcement responsibilities to President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. During his victory rally, Trump announced that he would “save” TikTok.

On Monday, Donald Trump said he was issuing an executive order to delay implementing the TikTok ban. Soon after, TikTok was again made available on the App Store in the US.

TikTok had also put out a post thanking Trump for “providing needed clarity and assurance” after the company got the green light to revive the app in the country.

Why does TikTok need to sell 50 percent of its ownership to the US?

However, Trump also said that he would “approve” TikTok in the country only on the condition that 50 percent of the app is owned by the US. He said that it is necessary to save jobs in America and to ensure that America does not give its business to China.

What did Elon Musk say on TikTok ban?

In this mix of drama, Elon Musk is right at the center. Musk says he does not support the ban. However, he did say that his support is despite the fact that China has banned X in the country. He says it is “unbalanced”, and “something needs to change.”

“I have been against the TikTok ban for a long time, because it is against freedom of expression. The current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in the US, but X is not allowed to operate in China, is unbalanced, he said. Something needs to change,” he wrote in a post on X.

Although there has been no confirmation, there is speculation that Elon Musk may be in line to buy a 50 percent stake in TikTok. His suggestion about change and lack of balance can also be seen as a hint towards this.

Why was the ban on TikTok lifted in America?

Within 24 hours of the ban on TikTok, it was lifted. Why? Because Donald Trump said, “We have to save it.” During his victory rally on Sunday, Trump passed an executive order to delay the ban. However, they did so on the condition that ByteDance sell 50 percent ownership of TikTok to the US.
Despite being temporarily saved from the ban in the country, the future of TikTok is still uncertain. As the Trump administration takes power, ByteDance will be focused on finding a balance between addressing the US government’s security concerns and Trump’s expectations regarding 50 percent ownership of the app in the US. It remains to be seen whether the platform will be sold, banned or face new regulations.