David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok shut down for its 170 million U.S. users late on Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday, but a day before his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump said “SAVE TICK TOCK!” in a post by Truth Social.
Trump previously said he would most likely grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office on Monday, a promise TikTok made in a notice posted to users of the app.
“A law has been passed in the US that bans TikTok. Unfortunately, this means you cannot use TikTok for now. We are happy that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok when he takes office. Please stay tuned us,” the message informed users of TikTok, which late disappeared from the Apple (NASDAQ: ) and Google (NASDAQ: ) app stores Saturday.
Even if temporary, the unprecedented shutdown of TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, should have a wide-ranging impact on US-China relations, US domestic politics, the social media market and the millions of Americans who depend on the app economically and culturally. .
The United States has never banned a major social media platform. The law passed by an overwhelming majority in Congress gives the new Trump administration the power to ban or require the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.
Other ByteDance-owned apps, including video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in US app stores as of late Saturday.
“The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it’s appropriate,” Trump told NBC. – If I decide to do so, I will probably announce it on Monday.
It wasn’t clear if any US users could still access the app, but it no longer worked for many users, and people who wanted to access it via the web app were met with the same message that TikTok is no longer working.
TikTok, which has captivated nearly half of all Americans, launched small businesses and shaped internet culture, warned on Friday that it would shut down in the US on Sunday unless President Joe Biden’s administration guarantees companies like Apple and Google that they won’t face enforcement action. when the ban takes effect.
MOVE TO ALTERNATIVES
Under a law passed last year and unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, the platform had until Sunday to sever ties with its China-based parent organization or shut down its US operations to address concerns it posed a threat to national security.
Biden’s White House reiterated Saturday that it is up to the new administration to take action.
“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 state power to crack down on TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely protect its legitimate rights and interests,” the spokesman said.
Uncertainty over the app’s future has prompted users – mostly younger people – to look for alternatives, including China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta (NASDAQ: ) and Snap saw their stock prices rise this month ahead of the ban, as investors bet on an influx of users and advertising dollars.
“This is my new home now,” the user wrote in a RedNote post, tagged with the words “tiktokrefugee” and “sad.”
Minutes after TikTok shut down in the US, other users switched to X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I didn’t really think they would end TikTok. Now I’m sad and missing the friends I made there. I hope everything will be back in just a few days,” wrote @RavenclawJedi.
‘HAIR ON FIRE’ MOMENT
NordVPN, the popular virtual private network, or VPN, which allows users to access the Internet from servers around the world, said it was “experiencing temporary technical difficulties.”
Web searches for “VPN” spiked minutes after US users lost access to TikTok, according to Google Trends.
Instagram users were worried about whether they would still receive the goods they bought on the TikTok Shop, the video platform’s e-commerce arm.
Marketing companies that rely on TikTok rushed to prepare contingency plans in what one executive described as a “hair on fire” after months of conventional wisdom that a solution would materialize to keep the app running.
There have been signs that TikTok could make a comeback under Trump, who has said he wants to pursue a “political solution” to the problem and last month urged the Supreme Court to pause enforcement of the ban.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the inauguration of the US president and attend a rally with Trump on Sunday, a source told Reuters.
Suitors, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in the fast-growing business, which analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion. Media reports said Beijing was also in talks to sell TikTok’s US operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, although the company has denied this.
American search engine startup Perplexity AI submitted an offer to ByteDance on Saturday to merge Perplexity with TikTok US, a source familiar with the company’s plans told Reuters. Perplexity would merge with TikTok US and create a new entity by merging the combined 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
