NEW YORK — A significant number of TikTok users across the United States have found themselves unable to access the platform following the implementation of a federal ban on the widely-used app.
As of Saturday evening, TikTok was removed from major app stores, including those provided by Apple and Google, and its website displayed a message informing users that the service was no longer available. This disruption began just hours prior to the official enforcement of the law.
When users attempted to open the TikTok app on Saturday, they were greeted with a notification stating, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” effectively blocking access to videos. The message continued, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
The message referenced President Trump’s promise to collaborate on a solution to restore TikTok once he assumes office and urged users to stay patient. The only choices provided to users were to exit the app or click a link that directed them to the website, where they were met with the same notice and given an option to download their data. TikTok had previously noted that this data retrieval might take several days.
Prior to the ban’s activation, TikTok had informed users that the service would be “temporarily unavailable” while promising efforts to restore it in the U.S. as swiftly as possible. However, the duration of this shutdown remains uncertain.
In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump hinted at granting TikTok a 90-day reprieve that could allow the platform to continue operations, with an announcement likely on Monday after his inauguration. TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend the inauguration and to be seated prominently.
Concerns from lawmakers and officials about the app have persisted for some time, primarily due to its ties to Chinese ownership. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based tech company that also runs the popular video editing tool CapCut and another app called Lemon8, both of which were inaccessible on Saturday as well.
The federal legislation mandated that ByteDance sever connections with TikTok by Sunday or face a nationwide ban. This law was integrated into a large-scale $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel, which Congress passed in April and President Joe Biden enacted shortly after. Subsequently, TikTok and ByteDance launched a lawsuit citing First Amendment rights.
While advocating for the law in court, Biden officials expressed apprehension regarding TikTok’s collection of extensive user data that could be accessed by the Chinese government through coercive measures. They also indicated that the app’s algorithm, which dictates user experiences, may be susceptible to manipulation from Chinese officials, creating an avenue for them to influence content, albeit without public evidence presented of any such data transfer or algorithmic interference directed at U.S. interests.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Friday, concluding that the potential national security risks associated with TikTok’s Chinese connections outweighed concerns about limiting the speech of the app’s 170 million users in the U.S.
Following the service disruption, some voices in China criticized the U.S., alleging that it was repressing a popular application. Hu Xijin, a former editor from a state-run media outlet, noted on the Chinese platform Weibo that the cessation of TikTok’s services in America was a regretful moment in internet development. He remarked that a nation claiming to uphold free speech has executed harsh suppression of a digital platform. It’s worth noting that TikTok does not operate within China, where its counterpart, Douyin, adheres to the country’s stringent censorship laws.
After the court’s ruling, both the White House Press Secretary and the Deputy Attorney General indicated that the responsibility of executing the law would fall to the President-elect, coinciding with his inauguration just following the ban’s enactment.
However, TikTok warned on Friday that without a clear directive from the administration, it would have no choice but to cease operations. The White House Press Secretary dismissed TikTok’s plea as mere theatrics and stated there was no justification for the company or its counterparts to act prematurely before the new administration took office. Nonetheless, confusion around the ban persisted until TikTok formally began obstructing its services.
The legislation prohibits mobile app stores from hosting TikTok and bans internet service providers from delivering the app to U.S. users, with penalties up to $5,000 per user for any breach. This establishes a considerable financial risk for companies that continue to offer access to TikTok.
Experts have pointed out that the law does not obligate TikTok to take its platform offline, leading to ambiguity about whether the company voluntarily halted its services or was forced to do so due to the loss of support from its technology partners. Interestingly, ByteDance has previously communicated that it has no intention of selling TikTok despite speculation about potential buyers looming.
In a notable development, artificial intelligence firm Perplexity AI made a proposal to ByteDance to establish a new entity that would merge its venture with TikTok’s operations in the United States. This proposal does not seek to acquire ByteDance’s algorithm that drives TikTok’s engaging user experience.
Several investors, including “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary and former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, have also shown interest in TikTok, with O’Leary recently announcing a substantial $20 billion cash offer for the platform.
