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Just over 12 hours later TikTok has gone dark in the US, the video sharing app is back online.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the company said in a statement. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not face any penalties for providing TikTok to more than 170 million Americans and enabling more than 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
A law that would force the TikTok company ByteDance to sell the app or see it banned in the United States was expected to come into force today. The law also made it illegal for US companies to support the distribution, maintenance or updating of the app.
With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office, President Joe Biden’s White House and Justice Department officials said that leave law enforcement to the Trump administrationbut TikTok said that “critical service providers” needed a “definitive statement”, otherwise the app would be deleted. And indeed, the app stopped working last night and disappeared from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Earlier today, however, President-elect Donald Trump released this he would have to issue an executive order that would delay the ban, and suggested that he would like to see TikTok restored sooner rather than later because “Americans deserve to see our exciting inauguration on Monday.” To this end, he said that his order “confirms that there will be no liability for any company that helped prevent TikTok from going dark before my order.”
That seemed to be enough reassurance for TikTok and its service providers. The TikTok app was already working again for many TechCrunch writers when the company published its statement. However, as of 1:05 pm Eastern, it still appeared to be absent from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Trump’s Sunday morning post also indicated that his “initial thinking” on an agreement to keep TikTok operating in the United States would involve “a joint venture between the current owner and/or new owners that the United States obtains a 50% ownership”.
In its statement, TikTok said it will “work with President Trump on a long-term solution that will keep TikTok in the United States.”
