What did you do with your 12 hours without TikTok? TikTok is back in the US, but how did we get here?
With its impending doom coming on Sunday, the social media platform TikTok decided to block access to American users on Saturday night, ending its historic run in the country, or so we thought.
The decision came as US lawmakers said national security concerns made the platform unsafe, and passed a law that would ban TikTok unless its China-based parent company Byte Dance divests from the platform.
The video-sharing platform has blossomed in popularity over the last six years, forcing other social media platforms to rethink their strategies as many turned to the new and exciting app with an addictive algorithm.
But as of 11 p.m. EST on Saturday, the app was unavailable for new downloads on Apple and Google’s app stores.
For those who had it, when logging on to the app on Saturday evening, users were notified that they could no longer participate in the fun, stating that the app had been shut down.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now,” the message said. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
And stay tuned we did as the app is now back up and running in the US thanks to a vow from President-elect Donald Trump that he would reinstate the app via executive action once sworn in on Monday.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Also Monday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will be present at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, as he accepted an invite last week, sparking the first thoughts that Trump may try to step in and save the platform.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” TikTok said after the news broke from Trump’s team. “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.”
The platform went on to acknowledge that Trump’s executive action will not mean business as usual, as an agreement still needs to be met for the platform to be usable long-term in the US.
“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,” the platform said.
Last April, Congress passed a bipartisan law that would force TikTok to be bought by an American buyer or be banned in the US on Jan. 19, 2025. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law, sparking a countdown for the platform.
TikTok attempted to appeal the law, making its way up to the Supreme Court after appellate courts ruled that the government’s law was not a violation of the First Amendment.
After months of legal fighting, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Friday to uphold the divest-or-ban law.
However, that still wasn’t the end of the line.
President-elect Trump, despite his efforts to ban the platform in 2020, has become a supporter of the social media site. During his campaign and after he won the election, Trump has been a vocal supporter, saying he would fight to try and keep TikTok in the US, saying he has a “soft spot” for it.
Due to his comments, the outgoing Biden administration said on Friday that it had no plans to enforce the law, allowing Trump to take whatever action he might.
However, TikTok pushed the issue, saying it planned to “go dark” until Biden stepped in. It claimed the White House and DOJ failed to provide the “necessary clarity and assurance to the serviced providers.”
Trump said Saturday that he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension while speaking with “Meet the Press” before making his decision on Sunday.
“The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully,” Trump said.
ByteDance has had several offers for TikTok, though it has yet to accept any or make clear that it would sell the platform.
Still, Trump said Sunday that he would like a US company to be involved at least somewhat with the platform to calm concerns.
“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” Trump wrote. “By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to stay up. Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe trillions.”