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Written by David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok stopped serving its 170 million U.S. users late on Saturday before a national security ban went into effect on Sunday, but a day before his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump said “SAVE TIKTOK!” in Real Social post.
Trump had previously said that he would give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he took office on Monday, a promise TikTok made in a notice sent to users of the app.
“A law banning TikTok has been made in the United States. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok right now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned,” the message informed TikTok users, which disappeared from the Apple (NASDAQ:) and Google (NASDAQ:) app stores on Saturday.
Although temporary, the unusual shutdown of TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, will have a wide-ranging effect on US-China relations, US domestic politics, the social media market and millions of Americans depend on the tool economically and culturally. .
The United States has never banned a major social media platform. Legislation overwhelmingly passed by Congress gives the incoming Trump administration the power to block or demand the sale of some Chinese equipment.
Other ByteDance apps, including video editing app CapCut and the Lemon8 lifestyle app, were also offline and unavailable in US app stores as of Saturday.
“A 90-day extension is very likely, because it’s appropriate,” Trump told NBC. “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
It was unclear if US users would still be able to access the app, but it was no longer available for most users, and people looking to access it through the web application received a message. the same one that TikTok is no longer working.
TikTok, which has captured nearly half of all Americans and boosted small businesses and online culture, warned on Friday that it would go dark on Sunday unless President Joe Biden’s administration gives assurances to the companies like Apple and Google that they will not face them. the operation process when the block starts.
ONLY SELECTIONS
Under a law passed last year and upheld on Friday by a unanimous Supreme Court, the platform had until Sunday to sever ties with its China-based parent or close t its action in the US to solve problems that cause national security.
Biden’s White House reiterated on Saturday that it was up to the administration to act.
“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
TikTok did not respond to a request for comment on the White House statement.
The Chinese embassy in Washington on Friday accused the US of using unfair government powers to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to firmly protect its legitimate rights and interests,” the spokesman said.
Uncertainty about the future of the device has sent users – especially young people – looking for alternatives including China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta (NASDAQ 🙂 and Snap saw their share prices rise this month ahead of the ban, as investors bet on growing user numbers and advertising dollars.
“This is my new home now,” the user wrote in a RedNote post, tagged with the words “tiktokrefugee” and “pain”.
Minutes after the shutdown of TikTok in the US, some users went to X, which was previously called Twitter.
“I really didn’t think they would cut TikTok. Now I’m sad and I miss the friends I made there. I hope everything will come back in just a few days,” wrote @RavenclawJedi.
‘FIRE HAIR’ LITTLE
NordVPN, a popular private network, or VPN, that allows users to access the Internet from servers around the world, says it is “experiencing temporary technical issues.”
“VPN” online searches rose after US users lost access to TikTok, according to Google Trends.
Users on Instagram are worried about whether they will still receive the goods they bought from the TikTok Shop, the e-commerce arm of the video platform.
Advertising firms that rely on TikTok are scrambling to prepare contingency plans in what one executive described as “hair on fire” after months of conventional wisdom saying a solution would be in place to save the app. work.
There have been signs TikTok could return under Trump, who has said he wants to pursue a “political solution” to the issue and last month urged the Supreme Court to halt enforcement of the ban.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the US presidential inauguration and attend a meeting with Trump on Sunday, a source told Reuters.
Suitors including the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that experts estimate could be worth $50 billion. Media reports say Beijing It has also held discussions about selling TikTok’s US operations to billionaire and Trump partner Elon Musk, although the company has denied that.
US search engine startup Perplexity AI submitted an application on Saturday to ByteDance for Perplexity to join TikTok in the US, a source familiar with the company’s plans told Reuters. Desperate would merge with TikTok US and create a new entity by combining the joint company with other partners, the person added.
Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock (NYSE: ) and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20% each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the US
