TikTok announced Sunday that it would resume service to U.S. users after shutting it down the night before.
TikTok said in a statement that its video platform is coming back online after President-elect Donald Trump provided necessary assurances to its service providers.
In a post on We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance that this is the case.” We impact more than 170 million Americans and enable more than 7 million small businesses to thrive. ”
“This is a strong stance against the First Amendment and arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution to keep TikTok in the United States,” the company added. .
Just hours before the transition from TikTok, President Trump posted on Truth Social asking him to continue using the app.
President Trump said in a post that he hoped to make it available to broadcast Monday’s inauguration.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday that will extend the time period until the legal ban goes into effect so that we can reach agreements to protect the security of our country. “It confirms that the companies that helped prevent TikTok’s blackout are not responsible,” Trump wrote.
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Usage of TikTok remained limited as of early afternoon, with content on the platform still available via a web browser. The app was still not available for download from Apple and Google’s app stores.
The TikTok ban, which was scheduled to go into effect on Sunday, would allow the president to grant a 90-day extension for the ban to go into effect if certain criteria are met.
Under the law signed by President Joe Biden in April, TikTok would be banned unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells the company to a non-Chinese buyer.
Before the ban took effect, Biden and the incoming Trump administration appeared to reverse their previous positions on TikTok.
Trump, who advocated for a ban during his first term as president, supported TikTok and vowed to save the app during the campaign.
After the Supreme Court greenlit the law on Friday, the Biden administration issued a statement saying it would not enforce the ban, leaving responsibility to President Trump.
On Saturday night, the app was removed from the app store and service for users in the United States was suspended.
TikTok’s future in the United States is still up in the air. Even if TikTok is given an extension, as President Trump promised in tomorrow’s executive order, the law still forces ByteDance to eventually sell the app to a non-Chinese owner. However, the parent company has not shown any interest in this.
TikTok said in its latest statement that it will “work with President Trump on a long-term solution to keep TikTok in the United States.”
President Trump has floated the idea of a 50% U.S.-owned TikTok joint venture, but even that idea faces potential hurdles. The law includes a 20% cap on “foreign adversary” ownership, so it’s not immediately clear whether ByteDance will be able to exceed that ownership percentage without changing the law. do not have.
The law defines “dominion by a foreign enemy” in several different ways, one of which is: “An enterprise in which at least 20% of the stock is directly or indirectly owned by a foreign person or combination of foreign persons described in subparagraph (A).” Wager. ”
Of course, Congress can change the law.
Angela Yang and David Ingram contributed.
