TikTok has gone offline in the United States (US), barely few hours before a new law banning the platform was due to come into effect.
A message appearing on the video-sharing app for US users said a law banning TikTok had been enacted, meaning “you can’t use TikTok for now”.
The app was banned over concerns about its links to the Chinese government and had been given a deadline of 19 January, 2025 to be sold to an approved US buyer.
President Joe Biden had said he would leave the issue to his successor, Donald Trump. Trump has said he will “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a ban once he takes office on Monday.
“The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. If I decide to do that. I’ll probably announce it on Monday,” BBC quoted Trump as telling NBC News on Saturday, 18 January, 2025.
On Friday, 17 January, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the law, passed in April last year, banning the app in the US unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sold the platform by Sunday, which it has not done.
TikTok has argued that the law violates free speech protections for its 170 million users in the country.
After the ruling, TikTok’s chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, appealed to Trump, thanking him for his “commitment to work with us to find a solution.”
