Written by David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok stopped working for its 170 million American users late on Saturday before a law shutting it down for national security reasons took effect on Sunday, but a day before his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump said “Save TikTok.” ! In a real social post.
Trump had previously said he would likely give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office on Monday, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to users on the app.
“A law has been enacted banning TikTok in the United States, and unfortunately, this means you cannot use TikTok at this time. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back once he is in office. Please stay tuned,” it read. Notifying TikTok users, a message disappeared from the Apple (NASDAQ:) and Google (NASDAQ:) app stores late Saturday.
Even if temporary, the unprecedented shutdown of TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is expected to have a wide-ranging impact on US-China relations, US domestic politics, the social media market, and the millions of Americans who depend on the app economically and culturally. .
The United States has never banned any major social media platform. The law passed by Congress overwhelmingly gives the incoming Trump administration broad authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.
Other ByteDance-owned apps, including video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in US app stores as of late Saturday.
“The 90-day extension is something that will likely be implemented because it is appropriate,” Trump told NBC. “If I decide to do so, I will probably announce it on Monday.”
It was not clear if any users in the US could still access the app, but it no longer worked for many users, and people seeking to access it through a web app were met with the same message that TikTok was no longer working.
TikTok, which has taken over nearly half of Americans, supported small businesses and shaped online culture, warned Friday that it will disappear in the United States on Sunday unless President Joe Biden's administration provides assurances to companies like Apple and Google that they will not face enforcement action when it becomes… The ban is in effect.
Move to alternatives
Under the law passed last year and unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, the platform had until Sunday to cut ties with its China-based parent company or close its U.S. operations to resolve concerns that it poses a national security threat.
The Biden White House confirmed on Saturday that it was up to the incoming administration to take action.
“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
TikTok did not respond to a request for comment on the White House statement.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington on Friday accused the United States of using unfair state power to suppress TikTok. A spokesman said: “China will take all necessary measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests.”
Uncertainty about the app's future has sent users – mostly young people – scrambling to alternatives including China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta (NASDAQ:) and Snap saw their stock prices rise this month before the ban, as investors bet on an influx of users and advertising dollars.
“This is my new home now,” one user wrote in a RedNote post, tagging the words “tiktokrefugee” and “sad.”
Minutes after TikTok shut down in the US, other users moved to X, which was previously called Twitter.
@RavenclawJedi wrote: “I really didn't think they would cut TikTok. Now I'm sad and miss the friends I made there. Hopefully it will all come back in a few days.”
“Hair on Fire” moment.
NordVPN, a popular virtual private network, or VPN, that allows users to access the Internet from servers around the world, said it was “experiencing temporary technical difficulties.”
Web searches for “VPN” spiked in the minutes after US users lost access to TikTok, according to Google Trends.
Users on Instagram have expressed concern about whether they will continue to receive merchandise they purchased from TikTok Shop, the video platform's e-commerce arm.
Marketing companies relying on TikTok scrambled to prepare contingency plans in what one executive described as a “hair on fire” moment after months of conventional wisdom that a solution would materialize to keep the app running.
There have been signs that TikTok may be making a comeback under Trump, who has said he wants to pursue a “political solution” to the issue and urged the Supreme Court last month to temporarily halt implementation of the ban.
A source told Reuters that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew intends to attend the US President's inauguration and attend a rally with Trump on Sunday.
Suitors, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion. Media reports say Beijing has also held talks about selling TikTok's US operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, although the company has denied this.
US search engine startup Perplexity AI submitted a proposal on Saturday to ByteDance in order to merge Perplexity with TikTok US, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters. Perplexity will be merged with TikTok US and create a new entity by combining the combined company with other partners, the person added.
Privately held ByteDance is roughly 60% owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock (NYSE:) and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20% each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States
