TikTok shuts down for US users ahead of Trump’s inauguration social media news
Millions of TikTok users in the United States will no longer be able to watch videos on the social media platform as a federal ban on the popular app goes into effect.
Newly enacted US law restricting the use of the platform came into effect on Sunday, a day before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The ban followed months of legal battles and intense scrutiny over TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
“A law has been enacted banning TikTok in the US,” it said in a message to users attempting to access the app used by 170 million Americans. “Unfortunately, this means you can’t use TikTok right now.”
In an interview with NBC News Network on Saturday, Trump said he was thinking about giving TikTok a 90-day extension that would allow them to continue operating. If such an extension happens, Trump — who once supported a TikTok ban — said it would “probably” be announced on Monday, the day he is sworn in as president.
TikTok CEO Shaw Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration with prime seating.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” the app said in its message to US users. “Please stay tuned!”
On Friday, the US Supreme Court upheld a law mandating a ban of the app unless parent company ByteDance divests TikTok’s US operations. The decision marks a significant increase in efforts to ban the app, which authorities claim poses a threat to national security.
In court, the Biden administration defended the law, citing concerns that TikTok collects extensive amounts of US user data that could potentially be accessed by the Chinese government through coercion.
Officials have also warned that the app’s algorithm, which determines what content users see, could be manipulated by Chinese authorities to influence the platform in subtle and hard-to-detect ways.
However, the US has yet to produce public evidence that TikTok has shared user data with Chinese authorities or changed its algorithms to serve Chinese interests.
ByteDance has denied any wrongdoing and has resisted calls to sell its US operations, leaving the platform in limbo.
According to US law, Apple and Google will have to remove TikTok from their app stores, which will prevent new downloads. Companies could face fines of up to $5,000 per user who accesses the app.
Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, would also be legally bound to enforce the ban.
Meanwhile, US-based competitors like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts will benefit from TikTok’s forced absence.
Another Chinese platform, Xiaohongshu, meaning Little Red Book, has gained popularity among American users, becoming the most downloaded app on Apple’s US store this week.
Many investors have proposed last-minute solutions to keep TikTok afloat.
Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence startup backed by Jeff Bezos, submitted plans to merge with TikTok’s US business to form a new entity, potentially allowing ByteDance to retain partial ownership, according to media reports. .
Other proposals are under consideration, including a $20 billion bid from a consortium led by Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary and billionaire Frank McCourt.
Experts have warned that even if Trump issues an executive order to delay the ban, he could face legal challenges.
“Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,” warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of the industry trade group Chamber of Progress.
