After a brief outage, TikTok has begun to restore its services to users across the United States, marking a dramatic turn of events just hours before the app was set to be banned. The platform, known for its short-form videos, went dark late on Saturday but by Sunday noon Eastern Time, it was back online, both on mobile devices and the web.
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The company announced on Sunday that it was “in the process of restoring service” following an agreement with its service providers. A pop-up message greeted returning users with the words, “Welcome back!” attributing the reversal directly to the actions of President-elect Donald Trump. “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” the message proclaimed.
Trump, who is set to be inaugurated on Monday, January 20, 2025, had signaled his intention to issue an executive order to extend the deadline for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest its US operations. He stated there would be “no liability” for companies that helped keep TikTok accessible before his official order was enacted.
The quick turnaround was facilitated by TikTok’s hosting provider, Oracle, and its content delivery network partner, Akamai, who, according to reports from NPR and The Washington Post, relied on Trump’s assurances to restore service. However, major app distributors like Apple and Google have not yet re-added TikTok to their respective app stores as of the morning of January 20th, reflecting caution over potential legal repercussions from the ban that remains legally in effect.
Despite this, TikTok seems optimistic about its return. In a memo to advertisers, the company indicated that services would soon be available to the majority of US users, albeit with “certain limitations” on live campaigns.
The legal landscape for TikTok has been tumultuous. The Supreme Court upheld the law banning TikTok on Friday, confirming that the app posed national security risks due to its ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance. However, the enforcement of this law was left ambiguous by the outgoing Biden administration, stating it would be up to Trump’s administration to decide.
Trump’s approach has been to propose a temporary extension, potentially leading to a scenario where TikTok could be sold to include 50% US ownership. This has been met with resistance. Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts criticized the move, arguing there was “no legal basis” for extending the ban’s deadline, which they said was now in effect. They have also warned that companies assisting in distributing TikTok could face significant fines, potentially in the “hundreds of billions of dollars,” as per Cotton’s statements to The New York Times.
TikTok’s CEO, Shou Chew, has been actively engaging with Trump through public communications, trying to secure the app’s future in the US. This includes a video message thanking Trump for his efforts, indicating a strategic pivot to secure political favor to remain operational.
The situation leaves other ByteDance-related apps like CapCut and Marvel Snap in limbo, with no clear updates on their availability following TikTok’s partial restoration.
Here is TikTok’s full statement on the matter:
In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.
It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.
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