TikTok has swiftly resumed its service for users in the United States on Sunday, just hours after the popular video-sharing platform was temporarily shut down due to a federal ban. The platform’s restoration came following an announcement from President-elect Donald Trump, who promised to issue an executive order aimed at pausing the ban and providing TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, additional time to find an approved buyer.
Trump took to his Truth Social account to share his plan, which involved issuing an executive order on his first day in office. The goal was to give ByteDance more time to comply with the federal law, which required the company to divest its U.S. operations by Sunday. The law, passed in April with bipartisan support, is linked to national security concerns over TikTok’s data collection practices.
The executive order, which Trump promised, was designed to extend the period before the ban fully takes effect, offering ByteDance more time to finalize a sale. The federal law also includes steep penalties for non-compliance. TikTok had temporarily removed its services from the U.S. in response to the law, and Google and Apple removed TikTok from their respective app stores.
By Sunday afternoon, a message greeted TikTok users, thanking them for their support and highlighting Trump’s role in bringing the app back online. “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” the message read.
While TikTok’s app is back online for U.S. users, it remains unavailable for download in both Apple and Google’s app stores. Despite this, the company’s U.S. operations have expressed confidence that the executive order provided “the necessary clarity” to avoid penalties.
Jasmine Enberg, an analyst with market research firm Emarketer, commented on the situation, describing it as a “brilliant marketing stunt” for both TikTok and Trump. She suggested that the temporary shutdown demonstrated the significant unpopularity of the ban among TikTok users.
The law that triggered TikTok’s shutdown mandates ByteDance sever its ties with its U.S. operations due to national security concerns. However, the legislation also gives the sitting president the authority to grant a 90-day extension if a legitimate sale process is underway. Despite interest from investors, ByteDance has resisted selling the platform.
Trump’s proposed executive order aims to extend the deadline before the law’s restrictions are enforced. The details surrounding the legality of Trump’s action are still unclear, as the U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the ban and the statute went into effect the day before Trump’s return to the White House.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin and the author of the ban bill, emphasized that there would be no extension for TikTok. “The extension was within the 270-day window, which closed at 12:01 a.m. this morning,” Gallagher stated on Fox News Sunday, reiterating that only legally binding documents indicating a divestiture could justify an extension.
Some lawmakers, including Republicans, continue to support the law. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas also warned companies against providing TikTok with any technical support, urging them to comply with the statute’s mandates.
As this legal battle unfolds, many U.S. TikTok users are keenly following the developments, hoping that Trump’s intervention will delay the ban and provide more time for a potential resolution.
Source: The Guardian
