TikTok suspended its services for US-based users while Apple and Google removed the platform from their mobile app stores to avoid penalties under a new law, as the social media company awaits a possible reprieve from President-elect Donald Trump to continue operations.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,” TikTok said in a notification on the platform to users late on Saturday. “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
Apple and Google’s moves were required by a law that took effect on Sunday. TikTok’s legal challenges failed to head off the measure, which was passed last year to address national security concerns.
Mr Trump said on Saturday he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the law, giving Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance more time to find a buyer. Mr Trump told NBC in an interview that he would probably announce it on Monday, after he is sworn in.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” TikTok’s notification continued. “Please stay tuned!” The note also directs users to a page to “learn more”, where they can download their TikTok data.
It was TikTok’s choice to suspend availability late on Saturday. The controversial law required tech companies that host or distribute TikTok in the US to stop doing so on January 19th.
Companies found in violation could face enormous penalties determined by “multiplying $5,000 by the number of users”, according to the law. Roughly half the US population had been using TikTok – about 170 million monthly US users.
Removing the app from app stores would not have shut off the service immediately – TikTokers who had already downloaded it would have been able to continue using it, but not to install software updates. User experience would then have deteriorated over time.
By pre-emptively taking the platform offline at once, earlier than anticipated, TikTok has a chance of mobilising its enormous user base to protest. It’s possible users will demand action from political leaders including Mr Trump to reverse the ban.
ByteDance also notified US users that is was disabling a slew of other apps it operates in the country, including CapCut, Lemon8 and Lark, a Slack-like productivity app. ByteDance’s gaming subsidiary, Moonton, also disabled its two mobile games.
The law, signed last April by President Joe Biden, required ByteDance to sell its US TikTok business to address national security concerns or face a shutdown.
TikTok has previously tried to use its popularity to change its fate. The company urged TikTokers to call US Congress to protest the Bill and try to prevent it from passing when it was first introduced. The strategy backfired at the time, stoking politicians’ fears about the app’s level of influence over US users.
Given Mr Trump’s recent support of the app, such an approach could be more effective this time.
Mr Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first presidency over security concerns, has since warmed up to the social media platform, speculating that it helped him win young voters during the election. Earlier this month, he unsuccessfully made a push for the Supreme Court to delay the law’s divestiture deadline so he could negotiate a solution once in office.
TikTok chief executive Shou Chew has spent time with Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago and is expected to attend his inauguration on Monday.
Even before TikTok made the app unavailable, loyal creators were organising themselves online to pressure Mr Trump to follow through on pledges he made on the campaign trail to maintain TikTok.
“This is a promise Trump made and it is a promise he used to get a large number of young people to vote for him,” TikTok influencer Tiffany Cianci said. “We are calling on him to deliver immediately.” – Bloomberg