The ban follows months of legal battles and heightened scrutiny over the popular app\u2019s Chinese ownership
\n Washington
\nUS President-elect Donald Trump said \u201cSAVE TIKTOK!\u201d in a Truth Social post after TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Saturday, as a federal ban on the social media platform took effect.
\nThe newly enacted US law prohibiting the use of the platform came into effect on Sunday, a day before Trump\u2019s inauguration. The ban followed months of legal battles and heightened scrutiny over TikTok\u2019s Chinese ownership.
\n\u201cA law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,\u201d said a message to users attempting to access the app, used by 170 million Americans. \u201cUnfortunately, that means you can\u2019t use TikTok for now.\u201d
\nIn an interview with NBC News network on Saturday, Trump said he was thinking about giving TikTok a 90-day extension that would allow the app to continue operating. If such an extension happens, Trump \u2013 who once favoured a TikTok ban \u2013 said it would \u201cprobably\u201d be announced on Monday, the day that he is sworn in as president.
\nTikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Trump\u2019s inauguration with a prime seating location.
\n\u201cWe are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,\u201d the app said in its message to the US users. \u201cPlease stay tuned!\u201d
\nTrump\u2019s incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz told CNN on Sunday that the president-elect doesn\u2019t rule out continued Chinese ownership coupled with \u201cfirewalls to make sure that the data is protected\u201d in the US.
\n\u201cWe can have an app that Americans can enjoy, but at the same time that protects their data, protects them from outside influence,\u201d he said.
\n\u201c[Trump] is definitely wanting to have the time right now, which would mean an extension, to evaluate the deals that are on the table.\u201d
\nOn Friday, the US Supreme Court upheld a law mandating the app\u2019s ban unless parent company ByteDance divests TikTok\u2019s US operations. The ruling marked a significant escalation in efforts to restrict the app, which officials claim poses a national security threat.
\nIn court, the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden defended the law by citing concerns that TikTok collects extensive amounts of US user data, which could potentially be accessed by the Chinese government through coercion.
\nOfficials have also cautioned that the app\u2019s algorithm, which determines what content users see, could be manipulated by Chinese authorities to influence the platform in subtle and hard-to-detect ways.
\nHowever, the US has yet to present public evidence showing that TikTok has shared user data with Chinese authorities or altered its algorithm to serve Chinese interests.
\nByteDance has denied any wrongdoing and resisted calls to sell its US operations, leaving the platform in limbo.
\nThe US law requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, blocking new downloads. The companies could face penalties of up to $5,000 per user who can access the app.
\nOracle, which hosts TikTok\u2019s servers, would also be legally obligated to enforce the ban.
\nMeanwhile, US-based competitors such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts stand to benefit from TikTok\u2019s forced absence.
\nAnother Chinese platform, Xiaohongshu, meaning Little Red Book, has gained traction among American users, becoming the most downloaded app on Apple\u2019s US store this week.
\nSeveral investors have proposed last-minute solutions to keep TikTok operational.
\nAccording to media reports, Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence startup backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, submitted a plan to merge with TikTok\u2019s US business to create a new entity, potentially allowing ByteDance to retain partial ownership.
\nOther offers, including a $20bn bid from a consortium led by Canadian investor Kevin O\u2019Leary and billionaire Frank McCourt, remain under consideration.
\nExperts warn that even if Trump issues an executive order to delay the ban, it may face legal challenges.
\n\u201cCongress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,\u201d warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of the industry trade group Chamber of Progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The ban follows months of legal battles and heightened scrutiny over the popular app\u2019s Chinese ownership Washington US President-elect Donald Trump said \u201cSAVE TIKTOK!\u201d in a Truth Social post after TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Saturday, as a federal ban on the social media platform took effect. The newly enacted US […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":393591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-456496","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n