Written by David Shepherdson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok will cease operations in the United States late on Saturday, ahead of a mandate effective Sunday to shut down the app used by 170 million Americans, along with Apple (NASDAQ:) and Google (NASDAQ:). 🙂 disappeared from the app store. .
President-elect Donald Trump said earlier in the day that he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office on Monday, according to a notice TikTok posted to users on the app. I quoted this promise in .
TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, sent a message to users trying to use the app around 10:45 p.m. ET (3:45 p.m. Japan time) saying, “A law has been enacted to ban TikTok in the United States. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.” Fortunately, President Trump has indicated that he intends to work with us to revive TikTok once he takes office, so stay tuned. ”
Other ByteDance-owned apps, including video editing app Capcut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, have also gone offline and are no longer available in U.S. app stores as of late Saturday.
“The 90-day extension is appropriate and will most likely be implemented,” Trump told NBC. “If we decide to do that, we’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
It’s unclear whether users in the U.S. will still be able to access the app, but the app will no longer work for many users, and those who tried to access it through the web application will see the same message that TikTok is no longer working. It was done.
TikTok, which has captivated nearly half of Americans, empowered small businesses and shaped online culture, said Friday that unless President Joe Biden’s administration gives companies like Apple and Google assurances it won’t be confronted. , warned that the United States would be plunged into darkness on Sunday. Enforcement measures if the ban goes into effect.
Under legislation passed last year and unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, the platform has until Sunday to sever ties with its China-based parent company to address concerns it poses a threat to national security. , must cease operations in the United States.
The White House reiterated Saturday that it is up to the next administration to take action.
“There is no reason for TikTok or any other company to take action in the days leading up to the Trump administration’s inauguration on Monday,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
TikTok did not respond to a request for comment on the new White House statement.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington on Friday accused the United States of using illegitimate state power to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely protect its legitimate rights and interests,” the spokesperson said.
Users move to alternatives
Uncertainty about the app’s future led users, mostly young people, to scramble for alternatives such as China-based Red Note. Rivals Meta (NASDAQ:) and Snap also saw their shares rise this month ahead of the ban as investors bet on user inflows and ad spending.
“This is my new home,” one user wrote in a Red Note post, adding the words “tik tok refugee” and “sad.”
Minutes after TikTok was shut down in the US, other users took to X (formerly known as Twitter).
“I really didn’t expect them to discontinue TikTok. I’m sad right now and miss the friends I made there. I hope everything comes back in the next few days,” @RavenclawJedi wrote .
NordVPN, the popular virtual private network (VPN) that allows users to access the internet from servers around the world, said it was “experiencing temporary technical issues.”
According to Google Trends, web searches for “VPN” spiked in the minutes after U.S. users lost access to TikTok.
Instagram users were worried about whether they would still receive items they purchased from the TikTok Shop, the video platform’s e-commerce arm.
Marketing companies that rely on TikTok faced what one executive described as a “hair on fire” moment this week, after months of speculation that a solution to keep the app running was on the way. So, we are rushing to create an emergency response plan.
There are signs that TikTok is making a comeback under President Trump, who has said he wants to pursue a “political solution” to the issue and last month asked the Supreme Court to suspend enforcement of the ban.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will attend the U.S. presidential inauguration on Sunday and attend a rally with Trump, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Suitors, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in a fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion. The Chinese government is also in talks to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, according to media reports, which the company denies.
U.S. search engine startup Perplexity AI submitted a bid to ByteDance to merge with TikTok US on Saturday, people familiar with the company’s plans told Reuters. Perplexity plans to merge with TikTok US and create a new entity that will combine the combined company and other partners, the person added.
Privately held ByteDance is approximately 60% owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock (NYSE:) and General Atlantic, and 20% each by its founders and employees. More than 7,000 employees in the U.S.
