TikTok users in the United States can celebrate as their beloved app is back online. On Sunday, 170 million Americans received the news of the app’s ban and upon opening it, they were faced with a pop-up indicating that the law banning TikTok has gone into effect.
After 13 hours, the app reported it was working on restoring services and thanked President Trump for providing “necessary clarity and assurances” that the company would not face penalties if it continued its operations. Will have to.
Notifications from TikTok app during and after ban
President Donald Trump initially proposed the TikTok ban in August 2020 during his first term. He signed an executive order citing concerns over the app’s terms of service, which allows it to share data with its parent company, ByteDance, which is partly owned by the Chinese government.
The company did not sell its US operations to a non-Chinese entity by the January 19 deadline set by the US Supreme Court. As a result, the service was banned, and users could not access their accounts. The situation has left the “7 million creators” who depend on TikTok for their income in the dark about their future.
Statement from TikTok:
In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing needed clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not face any penalties for providing TikTok to more than 170 people…
– TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) 19 January 2025
Donald Trump said on social media that he plans to reinstate TikTok and intends to sign an executive order today to delay implementation of the law. He also mentioned that companies that aid TikTok’s operations after the deadline will not face any legal repercussions.
Although it seems strange that the person who sought to ban the app is now being celebrated for allowing it, the US government would be critical of ByteDance to isolate its US operations or stop the collection of significant sensitive data on Americans. Is putting pressure for.
TikTok is available worldwide in its normal markets, except in countries where it is banned or no longer available, such as India, Iran, Russia and China, which uses a similar app called Douyin.
ByteDance has repeatedly indicated that disconnecting the app would be “extremely challenging.” Analysts suggest this process could last several years, regardless of bipartisan legislation or unexpected decisions by the new president.
