Less than 24 hours after shutting down, TikTok says it is back online after President-elect Donald Trump gave the company’s service providers (presumably Apple, Google and Oracle) assurances that his administration would not a law would apply that prohibits the application in the world. first place.
“In accordance with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the company wrote in a statement. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not face sanctions in providing TikTok to more than 170 million Americans and allowing more than 7 million small businesses to thrive. It is a strong stance to take. “We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
It is the latest salvo in the dramatic fight for the future of TikTok in the United States. Last year, Congress passed a law forcing ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest its US operations or face a ban starting January 19. TikTok sued based on the First Amendment, but lost in the Supreme Court. Last night, Apple and Google pulled the app from their respective app stores, as well as many other apps developed by ByteDance. Oracle Reportedly Told Employees to Shut Down Servers Hosting TikTok Data in the US, According to The information.
The move set the stage for President-elect Trump, who had attempted to ban TikTok when he was in office, to put the app away before being sworn in as president. “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the time period before the law’s prohibitions go into effect, so we can reach an agreement to protect our national security.” wrote in Truth Social Sunday morning. “The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped prevent TikTok from disappearing before my order.”
Technically, the law only allows Trump to extend the deadline if ByteDance makes real progress on a deal to divest its U.S. operations. Among those whose names have been mentioned as possible acquirers: Elon Musk and fellow billionaire Frank McCourt. While McCourt was doing an official offerMusk’s name was supposedly floated in talks with the Chinese government, according to Bloomberg. “I would like the United States to have a 50% stake in a joint venture,” Trump wrote in Truth Social. “By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to thrive. Without US approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, perhaps trillions.”
TikTok, in addition to other ByteDance-owned apps, has yet to return to US app stores at the time of publication. But several users reported that they were able to access their timelines again after they appeared unavailable last night. Others had regained access to their accounts, but with varying degrees of functionality.