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PremiumTikTok Ban Highlights: TikTok is resuming service in the U.S. after President-elect Donald Trump assured that no penalties would be imposed on service providers offering the app, which had been temporarily unavailable due to a law set to ban it on national security grounds. The law aimed to address concerns about the security of Americans' data under TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
The app’s suspension left 170 million U.S. users in limbo, but TikTok confirmed that service was being restored, thanking Trump for providing clarity and ensuring no penalties for service providers.
TikTok has become a major platform for creators, businesses, and influencers in the U.S. Trump suggested extending the deadline for the law’s prohibitions and proposed that the U.S. take a 50% stake in a joint venture with ByteDance as a potential solution to the concerns.
TikTok Ban LIVE Updates: During a rally in Washington, Trump hailed the returned of TikTok in the US, saying ‘TikTok is back’.
TikTok Ban LIVE Updates: Soon after the post by Trump, TikTok issued a statement announcing that it was 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 short video platform added.
TikTok Ban LIVE Updates: TikTok is resuming its service in the United States after President-elect Donald Trump promised to reinstate access to the Chinese-owned app upon assuming office, reported Reuters.
This development came after the platform ceased working for its 170 million American users late on Saturday, ahead of a law that was set to take effect on Sunday, which aimed to ban the app on national security grounds.
While many users reported being able to access TikTok’s website, the mobile app appeared to be temporarily unavailable, leaving millions of Americans in limbo. In response, TikTok issued a statement on Sunday, confirming that the service was being restored.
The report from Reuters highlighted that the company expressed gratitude to Trump, who had assured service providers that they would face no penalties for continuing to offer TikTok to U.S. users.
"Following discussions with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service," the statement read.
TikTok Ban LIVE Updates: According to Reuters, TikTok's website in the U.S. was accessible for some users on Sunday, while the social media platform's app had not yet been restored.
TikTok Ban LIVE Updates: US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to ‘save’ TikTok, urging tech companies not to allow the app to go dark. Speaking on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared, "SAVE TikTok," after the app was officially suspended on January 19, following the expiration of a deadline set for its parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US operations.
Trump further announced plans to sign an executive order on Monday, delaying the enforcement of the TikTok ban by 90 days. He aims to allow time for negotiations that will safeguard national security while keeping the popular platform operational in the United States.
TikTok Ban LIVE Updates: VPNs, or virtual private networks, which mask your IP address and online activity by routing traffic through a different location, are proving ineffective for many users, reported USA Today.
One person shared on Reddit, "No luck with a VPN. Tried accessing from both Australia and the UK." Another added, "I'm currently outside the US, and it still doesn't work for me."
TikTok Ban LIVE Updates: The TikTok ban has brought tons of memes to social media. A frustrated user on X stated, “I forgot jus opened tiktok cus muscle memory lorddddd💔💔💔."
TikTok Ban LIVE Updates: Incoming National Security Adviser Mike Waltz revealed that President-elect Donald Trump is not ruling out continued Chinese ownership of TikTok, provided that American users' data is protected and stored in the U.S.
In an interview with CNN, Waltz emphasized that the president-elect is working on a solution to "save TikTok" while ensuring proper data security measures, such as firewalls to protect U.S. user information.
The ban on TikTok took effect on Sunday, halting access for its 170 million American users, following concerns over potential data misuse by Chinese officials.
More updates as the situation unfolds.
TikTok Ban LIVE Updates: Elon Musk has voiced his opposition to the potential TikTok ban in the U.S., emphasizing that such a move goes against freedom of speech. Despite the possible benefits for his platform, Musk argued that banning TikTok undermines core values of expression.
He also pointed out the imbalance in social media access between the U.S. and China, highlighting that while TikTok operates freely in the U.S., X is restricted in China.
Musk called for fair access for platforms across both countries, suggesting that the current situation needs change.
More updates on Musk’s stance and the TikTok debate to follow.
TikTok Ban Live Updates: President-elect Donald Trump announced that he intends to issue an executive order on Monday to temporarily halt the TikTok ban.
Trump’s order would extend the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to find an approved buyer, preventing the platform from being permanently inaccessible in the U.S.
“We save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up," Trump stated on his Truth Social account.
TikTok Ban Live Updates: AI startup Perplexity AI has proposed creating a new entity to merge with TikTok’s U.S. business, a potential solution to keep the platform alive.
TikTok Ban Live Updates: Apple has issued a rare support document, which details the temporary removal of TikTok and other ByteDance Ltd. apps from the U.S. App Store. As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on X, this marks an unprecedented move by Apple, as it is the first time the company has provided such a document in the case of an app removal.
Gurman highlights that this is all happening just ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has indicated that a 90-day reprieve for TikTok is "most likely" in the cards.
The Apple support document outlines the changes impacting users, including the inability to redownload apps like TikTok, Marvel Snap, Lemon8, and CapCut if they are deleted or if users switch devices.
Additionally, in-app purchases and new subscriptions will be suspended during the ban.
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff has weighed in on the recent TikTok ban, expressing mixed feelings after her Australian Open victory. The 20-year-old, who boasts over 750,000 followers on the platform, admitted the ban was bittersweet.
“I honestly thought I’d get away with it because I was in Australia," Gauff said after her win against Belinda Bencic.
She added, “TikTok is my escape, something I do before matches. Now, I guess I’ll have to start reading books more and be a productive human. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise."
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: In an unexpected development, Marvel Snap, the popular digital card game, has gone offline following the United States’ ban on ByteDance-owned apps. The ripple effect of TikTok's shutdown has extended to ByteDance’s other platforms, including CapCut and now, surprisingly, Marvel Snap.
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: As the TikTok blackout begins, Apple and Google have removed the app from their U.S. app stores. Downloads and in-app purchases are no longer possible.
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: Millions of TikTok users in the U.S. woke up to a shock today as the platform ceased operations following a federal ban. A pop-up message now greets users, saying, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now."
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: Apart from TikTok, other ByteDance owned apps also stopped working in the US including video editing app Capcut, Lark and Lemon8.
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: TikTok influencer Tiffany Cianci while speaking to Bloomberg said, “This is a promise Trump made and it is a promise he used to get a large number of young people to vote for him,… We are calling on him to deliver immediately."
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will attend the inauguration of US President Donald Trump who has stated that he could give the Chinese app a 90 extension.
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: “We regret that a U.S. law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. We're working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned." a notification on the TikTok app read
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: TikTok has went dark in US and removed from prominent app stores like Google Play Store and Apple's App store.
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: The potential ban of TikTok in the United States has sparked a wave of interest in the Chinese social media platform RedNote, known domestically as Xiaohongshu or Little Red Book. The app, often described as China’s answer to Instagram, has seen a meteoric rise in downloads, with its popularity soaring on the US Apple App Store.
This migration of users, dubbed “TikTok refugees," reflects growing discontent with existing Western platforms, reported Forbes.
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday advocated the need to extend the January 19 deadline. He said, “It's clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers,"
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: In a notification sent to US users on Saturday, TikTok stated, "We regret that a US law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable,"
"We're working to restore our service in the US as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned," the notification added
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: The US Supreme Court on Friday (17 January) dealt a blow to TikTok by refusing to block a law that mandates the popular video app to either be sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban in the United States on national security grounds. This decision has serious implications for TikTok, which is used by nearly half of Americans.
In a unanimous ruling, the justices upheld the law, passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress last year and signed by President Joe Biden. The Court ruled that the law did not violate the First Amendment rights to free speech, affirming a lower court’s decision. The ruling emphasized Congress’s concerns over national security, particularly TikTok’s data practices and its connection to China.
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: While many names have emerged in the race to take control of TikTok US, including billionaire Frank McCourt, Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary and former Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, ByteDance has publicly stated that it will not sell TikTok US. This is why Perplexity believes that it has a shot with its new proposal given that it is offering a merger rather than an outright sale.
TikTok US Ban Live Updates: Artificial Intelligence backed search engine Perplexity AI has submitted a bid with TikTok parent company Bytedance to merge with TikTok US, according to a Reuters report. Reportedly, Perplexity AI would merge with TikTok US and create a new entity called New Capital Partners.
The report states that the proposal put forward by Perplexity would allow most of the existing ByteDance investors to retain their equity and lead to more video coming to the search engine.
