TikTok warned users in the United States on Saturday night that the app would soon be “temporarily unavailable” as a law banning it in the country was about to take effect – even though President-elect Donald Trump said it was considering an extension.
“We regret that a US law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19th and will require us to make our services temporarily unavailable,” read a notification to US users who opened the app on Saturday night.
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“We are working to restore our US service as quickly as possible and appreciate your support. Stay tuned,” the message added.
After months of legal wrangling, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that would ban the popular video-sharing platform in the name of national security unless its Chinese owners reach an agreement to sell it to non-Chinese buyers until Sunday.
Just months after overwhelmingly supporting the law, lawmakers and officials were now worried about the ban, with all eyes on whether Trump could step in and find a way to save the app.
From teenage dancers to grandmothers sharing cooking tips, TikTok has been embraced for its ability to turn everyday users into global celebrities when a video goes viral.
There’s also a fan, Trump, who credited the app with connecting with younger voters, contributing to his electoral victory in November.
After discussing TikTok with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he could activate a 90-day reprieve after reclaiming the Oval Office.
“I think that would certainly be an option that we looked at. The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done, because it is appropriate,” he said, before taking office on Monday.
“If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
The law allows for a 90-day delay if the White House can show progress toward a viable deal, but TikTok owner ByteDance has categorically refused any sale.
Outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration has said it will leave the matter to Trump, and White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s latest statements a “stunt.”
Following the court defeat, TikTok CEO Shou Chew turned to Trump, thanking him for his “commitment to working with us to find a solution.”
Trump “truly understands our platform,” he added.
TikTok has been lobbying furiously to block the law’s implementation, with Chew set to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
The law requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, blocking new downloads. Companies could face penalties of up to $5,000 per user who is allowed to access the app.
-Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, would also be legally obligated to enforce the ban.
Neither company responded to requests for comment Saturday.
– Ofertas para TikTok –
A last-minute proposal made on Saturday by start-up Perplexity AI offered a merger with TikTok’s US subsidiary, a source with knowledge of the deal told AFP.
This deal could allow parent company ByteDance a possible solution without selling the app entirely.
The plan, first reported by US broadcaster CNBC, would create a new joint venture combining the assets of US TikTok and Perplexity AI, which was backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The proposal did not include a price for the transaction, but the source estimated it would be at least $50 billion.
Frank McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, also made an offer to buy TikTok’s US activities and said he is “ready to work with the company and President Trump to complete a deal.”
Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary, who is involved in this offering, told Fox News that ByteDance received $20 billion for TikTok’s US operation.
He acknowledged the legal uncertainty surrounding the case, with the question remaining open as to whether a Trump executive order to lift the ban would nullify the law.
“Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,” warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of the industry trade group Chamber of Progress.
Sarah Kreps, a professor of government and law at Cornell University, said that “if an executive order conflicts with an existing law, the law takes precedence and the order can be overturned by the courts.”
If TikTok is forced to close, its rivals Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts will benefit.
Thousands of concerned TikTok users have protectively turned to Xiaohongshu (“Little Red Book”), a Chinese social media network similar to Instagram.
Nicknamed “Red Note” by American users, it was the most downloaded app in the US Apple Store this week.
