January 19th 2025.
Last night, as the official ban on TikTok in the US went into effect, users were surprised to receive a pop-up message regarding incoming President Donald Trump. The popular social media platform was suddenly no longer available on the Apple and Google app stores, causing confusion and frustration among its many users. When they attempted to open their accounts, a message from the company appeared, preventing them from scrolling through videos.
The message announced that a law banning TikTok had been enacted in the US, and unfortunately, this meant that the app could not be used for the time being. However, it also offered a glimmer of hope for the future – President Trump had expressed interest in working with the company to find a solution and potentially reinstate the app once he took office. Users were urged to stay tuned for updates.
Some users took to other social media platforms to express their disbelief and accuse Trump of being behind the message as a political stunt. One user, Amaya, wrote on X: "This is clearly a planned stunt by Trump. Just look at how the message changed within 20 minutes... he's going to come into office and try to play the hero by unbanning the app to gain public sympathy and likes. Don't fall for this nonsense. #tiktokban"
In a recent NBC News interview, Trump stated that he had not yet made a decision on the ban and was considering granting TikTok a reprieve after he is sworn into office on Monday. The ban, which was signed by President Joe Biden last year, gave TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, nine months to sell its US operation to an approved buyer or face a ban.
Despite TikTok's legal efforts to fight the ban, the company ultimately lost their battle at the Supreme Court on Friday. As per the law, mobile app stores are prohibited from offering TikTok and internet hosting services are barred from delivering the service to American users. Both White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco confirmed on Friday that the Biden administration would leave the implementation of the law to Trump, as his inauguration falls the day after the ban takes effect.
In a statement, TikTok requested a definitive statement from the Biden administration, stating that they will not enforce the law or penalize app store operators, such as Apple and Google, and other US companies if they continue to make TikTok available on Sunday. Without these assurances, TikTok warned that they would be forced to shut down their US operations. However, the company did not provide further details on how or when this would happen.
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