WASHINGTON — TikTok was not accessible for a lot of of its 170 million customers within the U.S. hours earlier than a ban on the favored social media platform was purported to formally go into impact.
TikTok greeted some customers opening the app Saturday evening with the message, “Sorry, TikTok is not accessible proper now.”
“A regulation banning TikTok has been enacted within the U.S.,” the message continued. “Unfortunately, which means you’ll be able to’t use TikTok for now. We are lucky that President Trump has indicated that he’ll work with us on an answer to reinstate TikTok as soon as he takes workplace. Please keep tuned!”
The message then prompted customers to shut the app or be taught extra.
The app additionally seemed to be faraway from app shops the U.S. Saturday evening, making it unavailable to obtain.
CapCut, an enhancing app that’s widespread amongst TikTok customers, displayed the same message and in addition grow to be unavailable to many U.S. customers Saturday night.
The shut down of TikTok follows a number of tense days of uncertainty for the app main as much as Sunday, when a ban on TikTok is meant to enter impact within the United States.
President Joe Biden signed a regulation final yr that mandated that TikTok’s Chinese-owned mum or dad firm ByteDance promote TikTok, or TikTok can be banned. The Supreme Court upheld the regulation on Friday, paving the way in which for the app to close down within the United States.
But the Biden administration launched a press release on Friday indicating that it could go away the regulation’s enforcement as much as the Trump administration, feedback that raised uncertainty about whether or not the app can be usable on Sunday.
Lawmakers on each side of the aisle have decried TikTok as a menace to nationwide safety as a result of it’s owned by a Chinese firm. TikTok critics argued that the Chinese authorities may use the app to entry Americans’ information or affect the kind of content material Americans watched.
But the corporate has pushed again on lawmakers’ issues, as an alternative portray the looming ban as a free speech and censorship subject. TikTok CEO Shou Chew has stated that the app is protected and safe
The app’s future is much from sure. Earlier on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News’ Kristen Welker that he’ll “more than likely” give the app a 90-day extension of the Sunday deadline for ByteDance to promote the app or have TikTok banned within the U.S.
“The 90-day extension is one thing that shall be more than likely executed, as a result of it’s acceptable,” Trump stated.
Trump has alternated on his stance on TikTok. In 2020 he stated he wanted to ban the app. Years later, Trump reversed his place earlier than making his personal TikTok account throughout the 2024 presidential marketing campaign.
