 "TikTok restores service in US after Trump promises executive order to delay ban")
Crediting President-elect Donald Trump for making its reversal possible, TikTok on Sunday restored services in the United States after briefly going dark, as a law banning the popular video-sharing app on national security grounds came into effect on January 19.
As millions of dismayed users found themselves banned from using TikTok, Trump, earlier on Sunday, promised to issue an executive order delaying the shut down to allow time to “make a deal.”
Trump, the saviour for TikTok
Trump, who retakes power on Monday, posted on Truth Social that after taking office on January 20, he would sign an executive order enabling the Chinese-owned video app additional time to find a buyer before facing a total shutdown, and proposing that the US or an American firm take a 50 per cent ownership stake.
“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say (sic) up,” Trump said.
“Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions," he further said.
A brief TikTok ban in the US
TikTok, which boasts of 170 millions users in the US, was banned with the app facing a shut down across the country late Saturday as a deadline loomed for its Chinese owners ByteDance to sell its US subsidiary to non-Chinese buyers.
From Saturday night until Sunday afternoon, a pop-up message to the app’s US users read: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
The brief blackout came after the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld the legislation banning TikTok pending any sale.
In April last year, Congress passed a law ordering TikTok, which is currently owned by ByteDance, to either sell to a non-Chinese owner or face being removed from the US, with the app opting to shut itself down after the apex court ruled to uphold the ban on Friday (January 17) .
Impact Shorts
More ShortsUnder his previous president Trump had pushed for a ban, but after finding a large audience on the app during his 2024 presidential campaign, he attempted to intervene on TikTok’s behalf at the 11th hour.
TikTok thanks Trump
After Trump’s message on Sunday, TikTok in a statement said that it was “in the process of restoring service."
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States," the statement by the company further read.
Ahead of his inauguration, Trump, while addressing a rally on Sunday, said: “Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save it.”
He further indicated that there were a “lot of jobs” involved.
“We don’t want to give our business to China, we don’t want to give our business to other people,” Trump told his supporters.
The law allows for a 90-day delay of the ban if the White House can show progress toward a viable deal, but so far ByteDance has flatly refused any sale.
The Biden administration said it would leave enforcement of the law to Trump.
VPN searches spikes after US users lost TikTok access
As per Google Trends, web searches for “VPN” spiked within minutes after TikTok users lost access to the app on Sunday.
According to a report by Reuters, TikTok users fretted on Instagram about whether they would still receive merchandise they had bought on TikTok Shop, the video platform’s e-commerce arm.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the US presidential inauguration on Monday.
With inputs from agencies
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