TikTok resumed service in the United States on Sunday after a brief shutdown over the weekend, following the enactment of a law that bans the app on national security grounds.
The popular video-sharing platform credited President-elect Donald Trump for the reversal, even though the Biden administration had previously stated it would not enforce the ban.
The outage began late Saturday, coinciding with a deadline for TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations to non-Chinese entities.
On Sunday, many users found themselves unable to access the app, prompting Trump to step in.
The president-elect pledged to delay the ban, promising an executive order to give time for a potential deal.
Trump also suggested that the U.S. should take a partial ownership stake in TikTok, proposing a 50% share in a joint venture.
He argued that this move could significantly increase the app’s value.
Trump’s comments, posted on his Truth Social platform, included a suggestion that the United States could turn TikTok into a lucrative asset, potentially worth “hundreds of billions of dollars, maybe trillions.”
Trump had previously sought to ban the app during his first term, but his new proposal sought a more cooperative solution.
In response to the developments, TikTok announced it was in the process of restoring its service.
In a statement shared on X, the app thanked Trump for providing clarity to its service providers, ensuring that they would not face penalties for continuing to provide the app to American users.
However, TikTok did not address Trump’s proposal for U.S. part-ownership.
The law, which mandates the removal of TikTok from app stores and requires Apple and Google to block new downloads, allows a 90-day delay on the ban if the White House can show progress toward a deal.
Yet, ByteDance has remained firm in its refusal to sell, and the Biden administration has indicated that it will leave enforcement to Trump.
TikTok’s influence has been immense, with millions of users creating viral videos that have catapulted ordinary people to fame.
However, concerns over the app’s ties to China and allegations of disinformation have raised security concerns, both in the U.S. and abroad.
In response to TikTok’s temporary shutdown, social media platforms like X were flooded with memes and reactions from users lamenting the loss of the app.
Some also poked fun at Trump’s past efforts to ban the platform, while others shared their fondness for TikTok.
The ban even became a topic of discussion at the Australian Open, where American tennis star Coco Gauff expressed her hope that the app would return.
Meanwhile, offers to purchase TikTok’s U.S. operations have surfaced.
Perplexity AI, a high-profile startup, proposed a merger with TikTok’s U.S. subsidiary, with an estimated price of at least $50 billion.
Additionally, former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has also made an offer to acquire the platform’s U.S. operations.
As the situation evolves, it remains unclear whether the incoming administration will be able to lift the ban, particularly if ByteDance continues to refuse to sell.
