Donald Trump says 'save TikTok' after it goes dark for nearly 170 million US users: Can he overturn the ban?
TikTok ceased operations for its 170 million American users, following the enforcement of a new law banning the app in the United States. The law, which was passed by Congress and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, mandates that ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, divest its stake in the platform or face a nationwide ban. The concerns surrounding TikTok stem from its data collection practices and the fear that the app could be used by the Chinese government for surveillance or propaganda purposes.
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TikTok's Shutdown: Users Left in Limbo
Just before 11 p.m. ET on January 19, U.S. users were met with a pop-up message on TikTok stating: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” signalling the beginning of a temporary shutdown. This followed an earlier warning that the app would go dark unless President Joe Biden’s administration could provide assurances to Apple and Google that they would not face penalties when the ban took effect.
In a message to users, TikTok explained: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” As of the shutdown, TikTok had already disappeared from app stores, including those of Apple and Google, preventing new downloads.
