One of the most popular social media apps in the world, TikTok, went offline across the United States late Saturday night. This happened just hours before a federally mandated ban was set to go into effect, leaving 170 million U.S. users in the dark and causing a lot of worry among businesses, influencers, and regular users who depend on the app.
A High-Stakes Deadline
The ban comes from a law that President Joe Biden signed in April. It says that American companies can’t host or serve TikTok content until its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells its U.S. operations to a domestic buyer or an ally country.
Concerns about national security led lawmakers to pass this rule. They used TikTok’s ties to China and its access to a lot of user data as examples.
Even though there had been rumors for months about a possible solution, the Supreme Court upheld the ban in a ruling made on Friday. That left TikTok with a tough choice: either cut ties with ByteDance or stop doing business in the US.
As time ran out, TikTok shut down its U.S. services ahead of schedule, telling users, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”
The United States has passed a rule that makes TikTok illegal. That means you can’t use TikTok right now, which is too bad.
Hope for a Reprieve
The ban’s timing coincides with the transfer of presidential power, as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on Monday.
In recent weeks, Trump has hinted at a desire to work toward a solution that could reinstate TikTok’s operations in the U.S. In a phone chat on Saturday, Trump said he might put off the ban for 90 days. This would give people time to talk about the problem and find a solution.
Trump said, “I think that would be a choice that we would look at.” It’s likely that the 90-day increase will happen because it makes sense. It makes sense, you know? We need to take a close look. It’s a really big deal.
Implications for Users and Businesses
For many, the sudden blackout has made it hard to figure out what to do. People who depend on TikTok for income and public engagement, like marketers, small business owners, and influencers, are dealing with the effects.
Some users have switched to other platforms, such as RedNote and Lemon8, which is based in China and owned by ByteDance. However, these platforms may also be looked at more closely in the future.
At the same time, competitors like Meta and Snap have seen an increase in interest, and their shares have gone up as they prepare to take over TikTok’s users and advertising funds.
The Role of Service Providers
Apple, Google, and Oracle, among others, are in a tough spot as service providers. Because of the new rule, these companies could be sued for making TikTok easier to use, which made them stop supporting the app.
Reports say that TikTok took its platform offline ahead of time after getting word that these companies would not continue to host its services past Sunday.
Even though the Biden administration said that the ban would not be enforced during its last days in office, the company decided to move quickly.
ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has always refused to sell its U.S. operations, saying that the platform is too popular and valuable to American companies.
Political and Public Reactions
People on both ends of the political spectrum have been talking about the TikTok scandal. Some Republican lawmakers are still strongly in favor of the ban, citing worries about national security. Others have asked if getting rid of the app is really the best thing to do.
Some important people, like Senator Josh Hawley, have said that cutting TikTok’s links to China right away is very important, calling it a “communist spy app.”
But Trump’s recent public comments make it sound like he thinks TikTok is an asset that should be kept. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is said to have talked with Trump in the weeks before the ban and plans to go to the inauguration of the new president.
People are thinking that TikTok might be coming back soon because of this high-profile engagement.
What Lies Ahead?
As TikTok users get used to not having the app, many still hope it will come back. Trump has said that an order delaying the ban could be made public as early as Monday.
This would give people a short-term reprieve and a chance to talk about a long-term answer. But ByteDance’s refusal to sell TikTok makes things more difficult and makes the app’s future unclear.
Analysts think that TikTok may eventually be able to start doing business again in the U.S. This could happen through talks, a legal loophole, or big changes to how it is owned.
For now, the blackout is a stark warning of how complicated it is for technology, politics, and national security to work together in the digital age we live in now.
An important question for millions of TikTok users is how long they will have to wait before their screens light up again.