A TikTok ban within the US that is been within the works for years began early on Saturday with the corporate locking down US customers — however the whole saga stays extra about politics than nationwide safety.
As of January 19, 2025, TikTok is not accessible throughout the US. The app is being faraway from Apple’s App Retailer and the Google Play Retailer, plus Oracle should now cease internet hosting the service’s US person knowledge.
These current customers will see solely an explanatory pop-up message on launching the app. TikTok’s homeowners, Chinese language agency ByteDance, is alleged to be working to permit customers to obtain their knowledge and private info.
The second notification despatched to customers with the app put in cites some form of dialogue happening with president elect Donald Trump, regardless of him being the architect of the ban within the first place.
A regulation banning TikTok has been enacted within the U.S. Sadly, which means you’ll be able to’t use TokTok for now
We’re lucky that President Trump has indicated that he’ll work with us on an answer to reinstate TikTok as soon as he takes workplace. Please keep tuned!
How we received right here
The ban is admittedly the end result of years of politics, however ostensibly, the reason being that TikTok is owned by a Chinese language firm. It is alleged that subsequently that China might compel the corporate to offer it with confidential US person knowledge.
President Trump proposed the ban in 2020,
“So far as TikTok is worried, we’re banning them from america,” he stated in August 1, 2020. “Quickly, instantly. I imply primarily instantly. I’ll signal the doc tomorrow.”
It was on August 7, 2020, that Trump signed the Govt Order banning TikTok, and giving it a deadline of September 20. The order specified that such Chinese language-owned apps proceed “to threaten the nationwide safety, international coverage, and economic system of america.”
The order cited the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act, and prohibited any transaction between US corporations and TikTok’s proprietor, ByteDance. Earlier than the September deadline, ByteDance was stated to be in talks that will see Oracle take over its US enterprise, and Trump publicly permitted the deal — initially.
He then scuttled this Oracle/TikTok deal in September 2020. It isn’t identified why, however conceivably it was believed that the Oracle deal wouldn’t assuage safety considerations.
TikTok’s homeowners have repeatedly claimed that the US safety considerations have been unfounded. It stated that it had robust knowledge safety, and denied claims that the Chinese language authorities had any entry.
The September 2020 ban was first delayed by a US choose. It was then blocked in November 2020 by the courts as an infringement of the rights of Individuals whose earnings was derived from their work on TikTok.
Biden indicators the ban into regulation
The case towards TikTok has not various or expanded from the accusations of Chinese language entry to US person knowledge. However in 2024, President Biden signed the ban into regulation.
“The trail to my desk was a tough path,” President Biden stated. “It ought to have been simpler and it ought to’ve gotten there sooner. however in the long run we did what America all the time does — we rose to the second.”
On this case, ByteDance was given 9 months to divest itself of TikTok. A 3-month extension could be triggered if the corporate was in negotiations to promote the platform.
That extension didn’t occur, however one factor that modified was that Trump requested in December 2024 for the ban to be paused. There would not look like any technical, safety, or authorized purpose for Trump’s request, however any delay would have pushed the ban into his forthcoming administration.
One different factor that arguably modified over the 4 years of the on/off ban threats, is that TikTok has grown considerably. In response to web optimization.ai,TikTok now has 150 million customers within the US, in comparison with
82 million in 2020.
General, TikTok has a billion energetic customers every day, so the lack of 150 million is critical, however not deadly. What would possibly in the end harm TikTok extra is that information of the ban has despatched customers to options, together with RedNote — one other China-based firm.
