The US ban on TikTok has been turned on. TikTok’s app stopped working and was removed from the App Store and Google Play on Saturday night, hours before the ban was expected to take effect on January 19th.
Users who have previously installed the app will see a pop-up instead. “Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable” is displayed. “A law has been enacted to ban TikTok in the United States. Unfortunately, you cannot use TikTok at this time. We are fortunate that President Trump intends to work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back once he takes office.” Please look forward to it. “
The notification gives users the option to close the app or “learn more,” and directs users to TikTok’s website with similar language. Existing users can also download data from the website. ByteDance’s popular video editing app CapCut is also no longer available in the US.
Following President Biden’s passage of the Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act, TikTok was given six months to withdraw from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. The company chose to fight the law, filing a lawsuit in the Supreme Court alleging that its First Amendment rights were violated by this measure. The High Court unanimously ruled against the app because it had limited time to consider the case.
As part of the ban, Apple’s App Store, Google’s Play Store, and other app marketplaces must remove TikTok or face a $5,000 fine for each user in the U.S. who downloaded the app. It will be done. White House officials announced earlier this week that the ban would not go into effect during the final hours of President Joe Biden’s term, but TikTok said the government would “provide the clarity and assurances necessary to service providers essential to sustaining TikTok.” “We were unable to provide that,” he said. It will be available to more than 170 million Americans. ”
There have been several attempts to ban TikTok in the U.S. over spying concerns, but this is the first time it has stalled, at least temporarily. President-elect Donald Trump was a major supporter of the ban during his first term in office, ironically making it TikTok’s only hope for survival in his second term. Earlier Saturday, President Trump told NBC News that he was “likely” to grant an extension for his first 90 days in office.
If there is an extension, it is unclear what kind of arrangement the company will ultimately make to remain in the United States. According to a report from CNBC, Perplexity AI has submitted a bid to merge with TikTok’s U.S. operations. Others, including investor Kevin O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), have offered to buy the service or expressed interest.
Additional reporting by Carissa Bell.
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