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Donald Trump oath ceremony: What the Republican's presidency would mean for TikTok
TikTok stopped working in the US after a dramatic shutdown, but returned after a promise from Donald Trump.
The future of TikTok in the United States has been a topic of significant debate, particularly in light of national security concerns related to its Chinese ownership.
Under Trump's first presidency, TikTok's operations faced uncertainty due to legislative measures requiring the divestment of its US operations by its parent company, ByteDance. Follow Donald Trump's inauguration LIVE updates.
However, recent developments suggest a shift in policy, with President-elect Trump proposing to save the popular social media app and allow it to continue operating in the US after it briefly ceased operations for a day last week.
TikTok ban in US
TikTok, which has about 170 million users in America, was banned in the country over national security concerns. A federal law required its parent company, ByteDance, to cut ties with US operations. The law gave the company a deadline of January 19.
The courts, including the Supreme Court, refused to overturn the law, thus effectively banning the app in the country until ByteDance either sells the US operations or shuts it down for good.
On January 19, millions of TikTok users in the US awoke to discover they could no longer access the TikTok app or platform.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,” a pop-up message informed users who opened the TikTok app. “Unfortunately that means you can't use TikTok for now.” In a bid to comply with the federal law, Google and Apple also removed the app from their digital stores.
Shift in Trump's view?
As TikTok stopped working for US users, US President-elect Donald Trump said that he is planning to sign an executive order after his inauguration on Monday to give TikTok's China-based parent company more time to work out a deal.
The Republican leader said he would extend the period before the law's prohibitions take effect. "I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
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Soon after Trump's message, TikTok restored its services for users in the United States. It also thanked Trump publicly. "As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the US," it told its users.
Trump saving TikTok represents a reversal in stance from his first term in office. In 2020, he aimed to ban the app over concerns the company was sharing Americans' personal information with the Chinese government.
More recently, the US president-elect had announced that he carries “a warm spot” in his heart for TikTok and also credited it with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump’s team has been searching for a way to satisfy the legal requirement that prohibits the hosting of a “foreign adversary controlled application", reported AP.
