It’s official: TikTok has shut down its service in the United States.
ByteDance’s apps are offline for more than 170 million Late on Saturday night (January 18), users in the United States were informed ahead of the implementation of a law that effectively bans the app from the market on Sunday (January 19).
The Supreme Court on Friday (January 17) upheld a law requiring TikTok to divest its U.S. operations to avoid being shut down in the United States, citing security concerns raised by its ties to the Chinese government.
TikTok currently displays the following message to users trying to access the platform from within the United States:
“The United States has enacted laws banning TikTok, which unfortunately means you can’t use TikTok now.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has said he will work with us on solutions to restore TikTok after taking office. Stay tuned!
“In the meantime, you can still download the data.”
Google and Apple have also removed TikTok from their app stores to comply with the law.
In addition to TikTok, ByteDance’s apps include cap cut, Video editing platform, Instagram competitor Lemon 8 It has also been offline in the United States.
Following the Supreme Court ruling, TikTok warned on Friday that it would be “forced to shut down” in the United States “unless the Biden administration provides an immediate and clear statement that satisfies the demands of its most critical service providers and ensures they are not enforced.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Saturday that TikTok’s threat to shut down in the United States was a “gimmick.”
Jean-Pierre said: “We have seen the latest statement from TikTok. It is a stunt.”
“We have made our position clear and direct: action to implement this law will be the responsibility of the next administration. Therefore, TikTok and other companies should raise any concerns with them.
The Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act targets apps owned by companies in countries deemed by the United States to be security threats. Joe Biden signed the law in April 2024.
As TikTok’s U.S. users see a message when they try to log into the app, the company is now Betting on the incoming president’s political interference Donald Trump, World Health Organization An executive order to temporarily suspend the law is reportedly being considered.
The proposed pause would give the Trump administration time to find a buyer for TikTok’s U.S. operations or find another solution, i.e. washington post Reported on Wednesday (January 15).
Trump told NBC News on Saturday that “it will probably be extended by 90 days because that’s appropriate.” He added: “You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.
In an interview with NBC, the president-elect added: “If I decide to do it, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
Trump’s inauguration is also scheduled to be held on Monday (January 20).
CEO of Douyin Shou Zi Chew U.S. companies responded to the Supreme Court’s ruling in a video message on Friday, thanking Trump for his “commitment to working with us to find a solution that will allow TikTok to continue to be available in the United States.”
“As you know, we have long worked to protect our constitutional right to free speech,” Zhou said. 170 million Americans who use our platform every day to connect, create, discover and realize their dreams.
“On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find solutions that will keep TikTok available in the United States.”
“I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find solutions that will keep TikTok available in the United States.”
Shou Zi Chew, TikTok
He added: “This is a strong stance for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. As we say, TikTok is a place where people can create communities, discover new interests and express themselves, including used by more than 7 million U.S. businesses. Make a living and get new customers on our platform.
“We are grateful and excited to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform. Someone who uses TikTok to express his thoughts and opinions, connect with the world, and create more. 60 billion Opinion His content in the process.
TikTok’s chief executive is reportedly expected to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
TikTok’s parent company has previously said it has no intention of selling the app in the United States.
ByteDance’s powerful recommendation algorithm is a key issue in its reluctance to sell the app’s U.S. business.
During more than two hours of oral arguments last Friday (January 10), TikTok’s lawyers told the Supreme Court that without a recommendation algorithm that provides TikTok with global support, it may be difficult to run the TikTok app in the United States .
The app’s recommendation algorithm powers its “For You feed,” which ByteDance and TikTok describe as “one of the defining features of the TikTok platform.”
Reuters It was reported last year that TikTok’s parent company would “prefer” to shut down the app in the United States if it failed to successfully challenge the legislation in court.
The news agency’s sources also said at the time that TikTok shared “the same core algorithm” with other apps owned by ByteDance, such as China’s TikTok sister app Douyin.
They added that shutting down TikTok’s U.S. operations would have “limited impact” on the company’s global business, and that by shutting it down rather than selling it to a U.S. company, it “doesn’t have to give its core algorithms”.
Reuters It was also reported that the short video app’s U.S. business “represents only a small portion of ByteDance’s total revenue and daily active users.”
At this stage, it is unclear how long TikTok will be offline in the United States.
This is a fast-moving story, service Can It could even be reinstated on Monday if Trump intervenes with an executive order delaying the law.
However, a prolonged outage could severely impact U.S.-centric music industry promotions.
In recent months, superstar artists from Billie Eilish to Taylor Swift to Post Malone have made TikTok a key part of their marketing campaigns.
Events may have been planned for the coming weeks and months, but they are currently in limbo as the industry awaits news on Tiktok’s long-term fate in the United States.
Friday’s Supreme Court ruling was welcomed by the White House and the U.S. Justice Department.
“The court’s ruling enables the Department of Justice to prevent the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to undermine U.S. national security,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
He added: “A dictatorial regime should not have unfettered access to the sensitive data of millions of Americans. The court’s ruling affirms that the Act protects U.S. national security in a constitutional manner.
The outgoing Biden administration responded to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday, saying “President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress overwhelmingly and bipartisanly directed the President’s office to Since then, a bill has been sent to the table: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but only under U.S. ownership or other ownership, to address national security concerns identified by Congress when it enacted the law.
“Given the urgency of time, this government recognizes that action to implement this law must fall to the next government that takes office on Monday.
Last Thursday (January 9), free planfounded by billionaire entrepreneurs Frank McCourt, formally made what the organization calls “People bid for TikTok, saying it aims to relaunch the platform on “new American-made digital infrastructure.”
Project Liberty said it had the “financial capacity to complete the transaction”, including “expressions of interest in sufficient equity capital from investors including major private equity funds, family offices and high net worth individuals”. The company said it could also obtain debt financing from “one of the largest banks in the world.” USA”.
Elsewhere this week, Burundi Tech billionaire Elon Musk may reportedly save the app.
According to reports, from Burundi Sources were quoted as saying on Monday (January 13) that “Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option for Musk to acquire the U.S. business of the TikTok app if it is banned.”
Burundi It added that “it is unclear whether there have been any talks between the billionaire, TikTok and ByteDance.”
Response to the media after the article was published Bloomberg’s “We cannot be expected to comment on matters that are pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson said, according to the report.
Perplexity AI is also reportedly trying to merge with US-based TikTok.global music business
