By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -TikTok stopped working for its 170 million American customers late on Saturday earlier than a legislation shutting it down on nationwide safety grounds took impact on Sunday, however a day earlier than his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump stated “SAVE TIKTOK!” in a Reality Social publish.
Trump had earlier stated he would almost certainly give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes workplace on Monday, a promise TikTok cited in a discover posted to customers on the app.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. 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,” a message notified customers of TikTok, which disappeared from Apple (NASDAQ:) and Google (NASDAQ:) app shops late on Saturday.
Even when short-term, the unprecedented shutdown of TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, is about to have a wide-ranging impression on U.S.-China relations, U.S. home politics, the social media market and tens of millions of People who rely upon the app economically and culturally.
America has by no means banned a significant social media platform. The legislation handed overwhelmingly by Congress offers the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to ban or search the sale of different Chinese language-owned apps.
Different apps owned by ByteDance, together with video modifying app CapCut and way of life social app Lemon8, have been additionally offline and unavailable in U.S. app shops as of late Saturday.
“The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate,” Trump informed NBC. “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
It was not clear if any U.S. customers may nonetheless entry the app, but it surely was not working for a lot of customers, and folks in search of to entry it by means of an internet software have been met with the identical message that TikTok was not working.
TikTok, which has captivated almost half of all People, powered small companies and formed on-line tradition, warned on Friday it might go darkish within the U.S. on Sunday until President Joe Biden’s administration supplied assurances to firms akin to Apple and Google that they won’t face enforcement actions when a ban takes impact.
MOVE TO ALTERNATIVES
Underneath the legislation handed final yr and upheld on Friday by a unanimous Supreme Court docket, the platform had till Sunday to chop ties with its China-based mum or dad or shut down its U.S. operation to resolve considerations it poses a risk to nationwide safety.
Biden’s White Home reiterated on Saturday that it was as much as the incoming administration to take motion.
“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated in a press release.
TikTok didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the White Home assertion.
The Chinese language embassy in Washington on Friday accused the U.S. of utilizing unfair state energy to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” a spokesperson stated.
Uncertainty over the app’s future had despatched customers – principally youthful individuals – scrambling to alternate options together with China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta (NASDAQ:) and Snap have seen their share costs rise this month forward of the ban, as buyers wager on an inflow of customers and promoting {dollars}.
“This is my new home now,” wrote a person in a RedNote publish, tagged with the phrases “tiktokrefugee” and “sad”.
Minutes after TikTok’s U.S. shutdown, different customers took to X, previously known as Twitter.
“I didn’t really think that they would cut off TikTok. Now I’m sad and I miss the friends I made there. Hoping it all comes back in just a few days,” wrote @RavenclawJedi.
‘HAIR ON FIRE’ MOMENT
NordVPN, a well-liked digital non-public community, or VPN, permitting customers to entry the web from servers world wide, stated it was “experiencing temporary technical difficulties.”
Internet searches for “VPN” spiked within the minutes after U.S. customers misplaced entry to TikTok, in accordance with Google Tendencies.
Customers on Instagram fretted about whether or not they would nonetheless obtain merchandise that they had purchased on TikTok Store, the video platform’s e-commerce arm.
Advertising and marketing companies reliant on TikTok have rushed to organize contingency plans in what one government described as a “hair on fire” second after months of standard knowledge saying {that a} answer would materialize to maintain the app working.
There have been indicators TikTok may make a comeback underneath Trump, who has stated he needs to pursue a “political resolution” of the problem and final month urged the Supreme Court docket to pause implementation of the ban.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the U.S. presidential inauguration and attend a rally with Trump on Sunday, a supply informed Reuters.
Suitors together with former Los Angeles Dodgers proprietor Frank McCourt have expressed curiosity within the fast-growing enterprise that analysts estimate might be value as a lot as $50 billion. Media studies say Beijing has additionally held talks about promoting TikTok’s U.S. operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, although the corporate has denied that.
U.S. search engine startup Perplexity AI submitted a bid on Saturday to ByteDance for Perplexity to merge with TikTok U.S., a supply accustomed to the corporate’s plans informed Reuters. Perplexity would merge with TikTok U.S. and create a brand new entity by combining the merged firm with different companions, the particular person added.
Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutional buyers akin to BlackRock (NYSE:) and Normal Atlantic, whereas its founders and staff personal 20% every. It has greater than 7,000 staff within the U.S.
