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TikTok restores US services, thanks Donald Trump for granting time to ‘make a deal’
Trump had previously backed a TikTok ban during his first term in office. The courts subsequently blocked his orders banning dealings with Bytedance and WeChat.
TikTok restored services to its users in the United States by Sunday afternoon after President-elect Donald Trump assured that he would pause a federal ban on the app after assuming power on January 20.
The short video service app was forced to shut down briefly on Sunday due to “national security concerns”. The order also demanded TikTok's China-based parent company, Bytedance, to cut ties with the app's US operations. However, it also allowed a sitting president to grant a 90-day extension if a viable sale was underway.
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Donald Trump, who is swearing-in as US President on January 20, said he wants to give the company more time to “make a deal” to comply with a federal order. The Republican said he “would like the United States to have a 50 per cent ownership position in a joint venture,” claiming that the app's value could surge to “hundreds of billions of dollars -- maybe trillions”.
“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands,” wrote Trump on his social media platform Truth Social.
Changed stance
Trump had previously backed a TikTok ban during his first term in office. His orders banning dealings with Bytedance and WeChat were subsequently blocked by the courts. However, Trump is believed to have changed his stance after the short video-sharing app significantly boosted his prospects among young voters during his presidential campaign for the White House.
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Following Trump's comments, TikTok issued a statement saying it “is 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,” the company said.
“As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” the message to the app's users read.
Despite the announcement, the app was unavailable for users on Google Play and Apple app stores. Trump's promise also lacked clarity on implementation as the US Supreme Court had unanimously upheld the ban on Friday, and it came into force the day before Trump's return to power.
(With AP inputs)
