This past Saturday, TikTok went dark in the U.S. just before a federal ban was about to take effect. The short-video app vanished from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
In April, Congress passed a law requiring TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner or face a shutdown. Rather than sell, they chose to shut it down.
TikTok argued that selling the app “is simply not possible.” They stuck to this claim until the very last moment.
This shutdown has been brewing for years. Back in mid-2020, Donald Trump attempted to ban TikTok through an executive order, but that effort fizzled out. While many measures came up in Congress, only one gained traction. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act became law, requiring a sale or shutdown.
In a message to users, TikTok stated, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
TikTok’s legal team informed the Supreme Court that the app would cease operations on January 19. After TikTok is removed from app stores, it will become outdated. Without updates, it risks glitches and cyber threats. Reports suggest that TikTok may cut access for existing users to put political pressure on lawmakers.
TikTok contested the law in court, arguing that banning it would infringe on users’ free speech rights. However, this argument didn’t hold up in court. Some thought the law might slip away as a similar attempt in Montana was overturned before taking effect.
Just days before the deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok, the Supreme Court confirmed that the law was valid. President Biden announced he would leave the law’s enforcement to Trump, stating that TikTok “should remain available to Americans, but under American ownership.”
In light of the ruling, TikTok’s chief, Shou Chew, expressed gratitude toward Trump for offering to find a way to keep TikTok active in the U.S.
Interestingly, Trump, who initiated the ban, is now looking to save the app after realizing its popularity during his 2024 campaign. He could potentially halt the enforcement of the ban, although he stated that the Supreme Court’s ruling must be respected.
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Many TikTok users are shifting to a different platform, Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, a Chinese video-sharing app, instead of switching to YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels.
As one user said, “I’d rather ship my DNA to the Chinese Communist Party than watch an Instagram Reel.”
Reuters contributed reporting
