TikTok Goes Offline Ahead of US Ban

TikTok voluntarily went offline in the United States on Saturday night, nearly two hours before the scheduled ban was set to take effect. This move has temporarily disabled one of the world's most popular social media apps, affecting approximately 170 million American users.

Key Developments

• TikTok users were greeted with a message stating: "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now."
• The app has been removed from both Apple's App Store and Google Play Store
• Other ByteDance-owned apps, including CapCut, displayed similar messages

Latest Updates

Trump's Position

• President-elect Trump indicated he will "most likely" extend the ban by 90 days after taking office
• Final decision to be announced Monday
• TikTok CEO Shou Chew has met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago
• Expected to attend Monday's inauguration

White House Response

• Current White House called TikTok's shutdown decision a "stunt"
• Stated implementation of the law should fall to the next administration
• Biden administration indicated no fines would be imposed for keeping TikTok operational on Sunday

Background

• Supreme Court upheld the TikTok ban Friday in a 9-0 decision
• The law was signed by President Biden in April last year
• Requires TikTok to be sold to a buyer from the US or allied nations
• Perplexity AI has confirmed submitting a bid to ByteDance

Impact and Outlook

• Multiple critical service providers indicated they would cease supporting the app
• ByteDance has rejected potential buyers to date
• Republican senators continue to support the ban
• Analysts predict TikTok may ultimately remain operational in the US

TikTok has informed employees they are working "tirelessly" to restore service in the US. The development of this situation will largely depend on the policy direction of the incoming Trump administration.