TikTok Restoring US Service After Trump Pronounces Plan to Delay Ban

TikTok mentioned Sunday it was within the strategy of restoring entry to its app after President-elect Donald Trump mentioned he would challenge an govt order on Monday to delay banning the Chinese language-owned social media app.

Trump, whose inauguration is at midday ET on Monday, additionally mentioned in a publish on his social media platform Fact Social that he needs the U.S. to personal half of TikTok.

“In settlement with our service suppliers, TikTok is within the strategy of restoring service,” TikTok mentioned in a publish on X. “We thank President Trump for offering the required readability and assurance to our service suppliers that they are going to face no penalties offering TikTok to over 170 million Individuals and permitting over 7 million small companies to thrive.”

The app went “darkish” on Sunday after the Supreme Court docket on Friday upheld a regulation requiring its mother or father ByteDance promote the platform or face a U.S. ban. A regulation handed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in April required that TikTok’s Chinese language mother or father firm divest the short-video website Jan. 19 or not be allowed to function within the U.S. on nationwide safety grounds. 

“I’m asking firms to not let TikTok keep darkish! I’ll challenge an govt order on Monday to increase the time frame earlier than the regulation’s prohibitions take impact, in order that we will make a deal to guard our nationwide safety,” Trump mentioned in a publish on his social media platform, Fact Social. “The order will even verify that there will probably be no legal responsibility for any firm that helped maintain TikTok from going darkish earlier than my order.”

Trump Seeks 50% US Possession of TikTok

“My preliminary thought is a three way partnership between the present house owners and/or new house owners whereby the U.S. will get a 50% possession in a three way partnership arrange between the U.S. and whichever buy we so select,” Trump added, noting such a transfer would “save TikTok.”

Although Chinese language officers desire that TikTok keep beneath ByteDance’s management, they’ve additionally mentioned internally choices together with permitting a “trusted non-Chinese language get together” corresponding to Elon Musk to purchase TikTok’s U.S. operations, in accordance with a number of reviews final week.

Nonetheless, the app was not out there on Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google Play Retailer and Apple’s (AAPL) App Retailer within the U.S. early Sunday afternoon.

“Pursuant to the Defending Individuals from Overseas Adversary Managed Functions Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries — together with TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others — will not be out there for obtain or updates on the App Retailer for customers in the USA beginning January 19, 2025,” Apple mentioned in an announcement on its web site.