TikTok is back online
Less than 24 hours after the shutdown, TikTok said it came after President-elect Donald Trump assured the company's service providers, likely Apple, Google and Oracle, that his administration would not enforce laws banning the app in the United States. Later, TikTok was back online. First place.
“TikTok is restoring service under agreements with our service providers,” the company wrote in a statement. “We thank President Trump for providing our service providers with the necessary clarity and assurance that they Providing TikTok to our service providers without facing any penalties to more than 170 million Americans and allowing more than 7 million small businesses to thrive is a strong stance for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship, and we will work with Trump President Trump needs to work together to develop a long-term solution to keep TikTok in the United States.”
It's the latest blow in a bitter battle over TikTok's future in the United States. Last year, Congress passed a law requiring TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban starting January 19. TikTok sued on First Amendment grounds but lost in the Supreme Court. Last night, Apple and Google removed the app from their respective app stores, along with many other apps developed by ByteDance. Oracle reportedly asked employees to shut down servers hosting TikTok's U.S. data, The Information reported.
The move sets the stage for President-elect Trump, who tried to ban TikTok while in office but saved the app before being sworn in as president. “I will issue an executive order on Monday extending the time before the legal ban takes effect so that we can reach agreements to protect our national security,” he wrote on Truth Society on Sunday morning. “This order will also confirm that any company that helped prevent TikTok from shutting down prior to my order will not be held liable.”
Technically, the law would allow Trump to extend the deadline only if ByteDance makes real progress on a deal to divest its U.S. operations. The list of possible suitors includes Elon Musk and billionaire Frank McCourt. While McCourt made a formal bid, Musk's name reportedly came up in discussions with the Chinese government, according to Bloomberg. “I want America to have 50 percent ownership in a joint venture,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “By doing this, we saved TikTok, put it in good hands, and gave it a voice. Without U.S. approval, there would be no TikTok. With our approval, it would be worth hundreds of billions, if not millions, of dollars. Trillions of dollars.”
As of press time, TikTok has not returned to the U.S. App Store, in addition to other apps owned by ByteDance. But some users reported that they were able to access their timeline again after being listed as unavailable last night. Others regained access to their accounts, but with varying degrees of functionality.