TikTok shuts down in the US
www.theverge.com
TikTok has gone dark in the US now that the ban-or-divest law passed last year is taking effect. The app has been removed from both Apple and Googles app stores, its unavailable on the web, and users who open the app are blocked from viewing videos.The shutdown has the astonishing effect of removing a social network used by 170 million people in the US, according to TikToks own numbers. While other social media platforms have experienced outages, even prolonged ones, no network as big as TikTok has simply shut down without any indication of if or when it will come back online.This is despite the Biden administration saying its passing enforcement responsibilitieson to the Trump administrationand calling TikToks threat to go offlinea stunt. TikTok has insisted that without clearer assurances, it has to close up shop in the US. Inside TikTok, an email to employees said that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office on January 20th and that teams are working tirelessly to bring our app back to the U.S. as soon as possible.A warning message started appearing in TikToks app around 9PM ET on Saturday evening, telling users of the pending shutdown:We regret that a US law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19th and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. Were working to restore our service in the US as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned.The app began blocking users around 10:30PM ET. A message now appears saying the app isnt available right now but that the company expects a resolution under President-elect Trump:Sorry, TikTok isnt available right nowA law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you cant 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!Several other apps owned by TikToks parent company, ByteDance, have also been taken offline, including the video editor CapCut and the social platform Lemon8.TikTok now displays a warning when opened and wont allow users to watch videos. Screenshot: The VergeThe ban-or-divest law, which goes into effect on Sunday, effectively bans TikTok unless ByteDance sells much of its stake in the company. But ByteDance has shown little sign of being willing to sell, even as the deadline rapidly approached. Instead, TikTok sued the US over the law, ultimately losing in a Supreme Court case this past week.TikToks new strategy appears to be relentlessly pandering to Trump, who despite initially calling for the TikTok ban has recently indicated that he wants to find a way to keep it around. Earlier today, he floated a 90-day extension of ByteDances deadline to sell.The political game of hot potato, where no one wants to be seen as responsible for banning TikTok, suggests that the app may not be gone for good. But with no definitive plan coming from Biden, Trump, ByteDance, or TikTok, its unclear exactly how long the ban could hold.
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