Millions of TikTok users in the US have woken up on Sunday, January 19 to find their favourite video social media app no longer works.
The company’s website informed customers that the video platform was no longer accessible, and on Saturday night, its app was removed from the major app stores, including those run by Apple and Google.
When users opened the TikTok app on Saturday night, they encountered a pop-up message that said, ‘Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,’ and prevented them from scrolling on videos. TikTok had blocked itself just before the ban came into affect.
‘A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,’ the message read. ‘Unfortunately that means you can’t use TikTok for now.’
Why does TikTok not work in the USA?
It continued, ‘We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office’, in a reference to the President-elect’s comment that he might ‘reinstate’ the platform. The company told its users to ‘stay tuned’.
Prior to making that statement, TikTok had informed users in a separate message that its service would be ‘temporarily unavailable’ and that it was trying to get its U.S. service back ‘as soon as possible.’ It’s unclear, though, how long the platform will stay dark.
In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump said he was thinking about giving TikTok a 90-day extension that would allow them to continue operating. If such an extension happens, Trump, who once favoured a TikTok ban, said it would ‘probably’ be announced Monday, the day that he is sworn in as president. TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration with a prime seating location.
US officials have repeatedly warned that TikTok threatens national security because the Chinese government could use it as a vehicle to spy on Americans or covertly influence the US public by promoting or limiting certain content.
