The switch has flipped on the US TikTok ban. TikTok’s app stoped working and was removed from the App Store and Google Play on Saturday night, just hours before the January 19 ban was expected to take effect.
People who have previously installed the app are instead greeted with a pop-up. “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” it says. “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.”
The notice gives the option to close the app or “learn more,” which directs users to TikTok’s website, which has similar language. Existing users can also download their data from the website. ByteDance’s popular video editing app, CapCut, is also no longer available within the US.
Following the passage of the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Apps Act” by President Biden, TikTok had six months to divest itself from Chinese parent company ByteDance. The company opted to fight the law, bringing a case to the Supreme Court claiming that its First Amendment rights were violated by the measure. The high court, with a limited amount of time to consider the case, ruled unanimously against the app.
As part of the ban, Apple’s App Store, Google’s Play Store and any other app marketplace must remove TikTok or be subject to a fine of $5,000 for every user in the US that downloads the app. White House officials said earlier in the week that the ban would not be enforced during President Joe Biden’s final hours in office, but TikTok said that the government had “failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans.”
Multiple attempts have been made to ban TikTok in the US over concerns of spying, but this is the first time one has stuck, at least temporarily. President-elect Donald Trump was a major supporter of a ban during his first term in office and, ironically, is TikTok’s only hope of surviving after his second inauguration. Earlier on Saturday, Trump told NBC News that he would “most likely” grant a 90-day extension to the company after taking office.
Should an extension come, it’s not clear what kind of arrangement the company may work out to remain in the US after all. Perplexity AI has reportedly submitted a bid to merge with TikTok’s stateside operations, CNBC reported. Others, including investor Kevin O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame) have also made proposals or expressed interest in buying the service.
Additional reporting by Karissa Bell.
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