TikTok is back online in the U.S., much to the relief of its 170 million users. On Sunday, a shocking pop-up announced the app’s ban due to a new law taking effect, surprising Americans. After 13 hours of uncertainty, the popular platform is live again, allowing users to reconnect and scroll once more.
After 13 hours offline, TikTok announced it was restoring services and thanked President Trump for assuring it could operate without penalties.
In August 2020, President Trump proposed banning TikTok, citing concerns over its data-sharing policies with its parent company, ByteDance, partly owned by the Chinese government.
When TikTok failed to sell its U.S. operations to a non-Chinese entity by the January 19 deadline set by the U.S. Supreme Court, the app was banned, leaving users unable to access their accounts. This left the “7 million creators” relying on TikTok for their income uncertain about their future.
Donald Trump announced plans to reinstate TikTok, saying he will sign an order today to delay the ban. He also assured that companies assisting TikTok’s operations past the deadline would face no legal consequences.
It’s ironic that the same person who pushed to ban the app is now celebrating for keeping it running. The U.S. government is pressuring ByteDance to spin off U.S. operations or halt sensitive data collection.
TikTok is available in most markets, except in countries like India, Iran, Russia, and China, which uses Douyin.
ByteDance has consistently stated that separating TikTok’s operations would be “extremely challenging.” Experts agree, predicting the process could take years to complete, no matter the bipartisan legislation or the unpredictable decisions of a new president.
