TikTok restored its service in the US on January 19 (local time). The move came as President-elect Donald Trump announced he would suspend the ban through an executive order shortly after taking office.
The statement, posted on the Truth Social social media account by Mr. Trump, came as millions of American users woke up to find themselves unable to access the TikTok app. He said the purpose of the order was to give TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, more time to find an approved buyer before the ban officially takes effect.
By the afternoon of January 19, TikTok users had received a message thanking and acknowledging the President-elect’s support. The message stated: “Thanks to the efforts of President Trump, TikTok is back in the US!”
The platform had previously shut down on the evening of January 18 to comply with a federal law requiring ByteDance to sell its US operations by January 19. Google and Apple have also removed TikTok from their app stores. The law, passed in April 2021 with broad bipartisan support, also stipulates heavy fines for any violations.
TikTok, however, said the steps Trump announced on January 19 provided “necessary clarity and assurance” that its service providers would not face penalties. The TikTok app is still not available for download from Apple and Google’s app stores.
Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at market research firm Emarketer, said this was a smart marketing strategy for both TikTok and President-elect Donald Trump.
TikTok's restoration of operations has somewhat eased users' concerns, while opening up an opportunity for ByteDance to continue looking for solutions for the platform's future in the US.
