“Sorry, TikTok isn’t out there proper now,” the message learn.
Hours earlier than a federal regulation banning TikTok from the US was set to take impact on Sunday, the Chinese language-owned social media app went darkish, and U.S. customers may not entry movies on the platform. As an alternative, the app greeted them with a message that stated “a regulation banning TikTok has been enacted.”
“We’re lucky that President Trump has indicated that he’ll work with us on an answer,” the message stated. “Please keep tuned!”
As well as, TikTok’s sister app, Lemon8, stopped working and confirmed U.S. customers a message saying that it “isn’t out there proper now.” Each TikTok and Lemon8 are owned by ByteDance, a Chinese language web big.
Apple stated it eliminated TikTok and different ByteDance apps, together with Lemon8, from its app retailer, and customers stated that Google’s U.S. app retailer additionally eliminated TikTok.
TikTok grew to become unavailable after the Supreme Courtroom resolution on Friday upholding the regulation, which requires ByteDance to promote the app by Sunday or in any other case face a ban. The regulation was handed overwhelmingly by Congress final 12 months and signed by President Biden. TikTok, which has confronted nationwide safety considerations for its Chinese language ties, had believed it may win its authorized problem to the regulation, however failed.
The blackout capped a chaotic stretch for TikTok, which had made last-minute pleas to each the Biden administration and President-elect Donald J. Trump for a manner out of the regulation. Till Saturday night time, nobody — together with the U.S. authorities — was solely positive what would occur to it when the regulation took impact. The USA has by no means blocked an app utilized by tens of tens of millions of Individuals primarily in a single day.
The regulation has a provision to penalize app retailer operators like Apple and Google and web internet hosting firms like Oracle for distributing or sustaining the TikTok app. Underneath the regulation, these firms face penalties as excessive as $5,000 per person who can entry the app.
TikTok, Apple and Oracle didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark. Google declined to remark.
For TikTok and ByteDance, the developments are a serious blow. TikTok has roughly 170 million U.S. customers, who’re among the app’s most profitable clients. In authorized filings, TikTok has stated that even a brief disappearance may kneecap it, with customers and creators leaving for different platforms and by no means returning even when a ban was lifted.
The scenario was additional difficult by the regulation’s begin date falling within the closing days of Mr. Biden’s presidency. A White Home spokeswoman prompt on Saturday that the Biden administration wouldn’t begin fining firms on Sunday.
“We see no motive for TikTok or different firms to take actions within the subsequent few days earlier than the Trump administration takes workplace on Monday,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White Home press secretary, stated in a press release. “Now we have laid out our place clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this regulation will fall to the subsequent administration.”
Spokesmen for the White Home and the Division of Justice didn’t reply to requests for remark after TikTok went offline.
Mr. Trump stated on Saturday he would “most certainly” discover a method to give TikTok a 90-day extension as soon as he takes workplace on Monday. The regulation provides the president the flexibility to increase the deadline for a sale provided that there’s “important progress” towards a deal that might put TikTok within the fingers of a non-Chinese language proprietor. It was not clear how that extension would possibly work if the ban had already taken impact.
Mr. Trump has additionally indicated he may signal an govt order to avoid the ban of the app. TikTok’s chief govt, Shou Chew, is anticipated to attend Mr. Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
On Saturday, the temper on TikTok was somber. Alix Earle, a content material creator with 7.2 million followers who rose to fame on the app in 2022, posted tearful movies mourning the platform.
“I really feel like I’m going By means of heartbreak,” Ms. Earle wrote in one video. “This platform is greater than an app or a job to me. I’ve so many Recollections on right here. I’ve posted every single day for the previous 6 years of my life. I’ve shared my pals, household, relationships, private struggles, secrets and techniques.”
Different customers spent their closing moments on the app recreating viral dances. The “For You” web page stuffed with montages of customers’ favourite traits and songs, many courting again to the early days of the pandemic, when the app soared in reputation.
By 9 p.m. Japanese on Saturday night time, TikTok was exhibiting U.S. customers a pop up message that stated the app would quickly cease working.
It stated the regulation would “power us to make our providers briefly unavailable.” Shortly thereafter, TikTok went darkish.
Late Saturday night, Ms. Earle discovered solace by showing on a rival social media platform: Instagram.
“I used to be simply not anticipating that for this Saturday night time,” she stated of what occurred to TikTok as she livestreamed on Instagram. RedNote, a Chinese language video app that has change into widespread in current days, wouldn’t change into a long-term substitute, she stated.
“We’re simply gonna must make it a bit of extra enjoyable on right here, that’s what I’m considering,” she stated of Instagram.
On Sunday morning in China, TikTok’s notification to U.S. customers that it could droop service was a trending subject on Weibo, a well-liked social media platform just like X.
“This can be a darkish second within the improvement of the web,” Hu Xijin, a former editor in chief of the state-run World Occasions, wrote on Weibo. The USA had set an instance for “all the Western world” to silence voices on-line within the title of nationwide safety, he wrote.
Diao Daming, a professor of worldwide relations at Renmin College of China, known as TikTok “the primary large check that Trump 2.0 has to face.” Mr. Trump’s actions on TikTok may check his relationship with “China hawks” in Washington, Mr. Diao wrote in a commentary revealed on state media.
Claire Fu contributed reporting from Seoul. Nico Grant and Tripp Mickle contributed reporting from San Francisco. David McCabe contributed reporting from Washington.
