By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok said on Sunday it would restore its service after President-elect Donald Trump said he would restore access to the app in the United States when he returns to power on Monday.
“Due to President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US,” the platform said in a message to users.
TikTok also issued an earlier statement after US users reported they were able to access the Chinese service’s website, while the much more widely used TikTok app itself came back online for some users with just a few basic services.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” TikTok said in the earlier statement, also thanking Trump for “giving our service providers the clarity and assurance they need that they will not face penalties for providing it.” TikTok reaches over 170 million Americans and empowers over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
TikTok stopped operating for U.S. users late Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. US officials had warned that there was a risk of misuse of Americans’ data under the Chinese parent company ByteDance.
Trump said he would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can reach an agreement to protect our national security.”
“I would like to see the United States hold a 50 percent stake in a joint venture,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said the executive order would specify that there would be no liability for companies that helped prevent TikTok from falling into obscurity before his order.
Trump had previously said he would most likely grant TikTok a 90-day repeal of the ban after taking office, a promise that TikTok cited in a note to users of the app.
“A law has been passed in the US to ban TikTok. Unfortunately, this means that you cannot use TikTok for the time being. We are happy that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reintroduce TikTok after he takes office. Please. “Stay tuned,” a message informed users of TikTok, which disappeared from the Apple (NASDAQ:) and Google (NASDAQ:) app stores late Saturday.
While TikTok’s unprecedented shutdown is temporary, it will have far-reaching impacts on U.S.-China relations, U.S. politics, the social media market, and millions of Americans who rely on the app economically and culturally .
Trump’s rescue of TikTok marks a turnaround from his first term. In 2020, he sought to ban the short-video app over concerns the company was sharing Americans’ personal data with the Chinese government. Recently, Trump said he has “a warm place in my heart for TikTok” and credits the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 election. In August 2020, Trump signed an executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok, but then agreed to a deal structured as a partnership rather than a divestiture that included both Oracle (NYSE:) and Walmart (NYSE: ) Companies would have taken over shares in the new company. Not everyone in Trump’s Republican Party agreed with the effort to circumvent the law and “save TikTok.” Republican Senators Tom and Pete Ricketts said in a joint statement: “Now that the law has taken effect, there is no legal basis for any ‘extension’ of its effective date. In order for TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that meets the legal requirements for a qualified divestiture and breaks all ties between TikTok and Communist China. The US has never banned a major social media platform. The law, passed overwhelmingly by Congress, gives the new Trump administration broad authority to ban or seek to sell other Chinese apps. Other ByteDance apps, including video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in U.S. app stores as of Saturday. Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. MOVING ON TO ALTERNATIVES Under the law, passed last year and upheld by a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, the platform had until Sunday to cut ties with its China-based parent company or close its U.S. operations over concerns to eliminate the fact that it represents a threat to national security. The Chinese embassy in Washington accused the US on Friday of using unfair state power to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” a spokesman said. Uncertainty about the app’s future had led users – mostly younger people – to switch to alternatives such as China’s RedNote. Share prices of rivals Meta (NASDAQ:) and Snap rose this month ahead of the ban as investors bet on an influx of users and advertising dollars. According to Google Trends, web searches for “VPN” skyrocketed within minutes of US users losing access to TikTok. Users on Instagram worried about whether they would still receive goods they had purchased on TikTok Shop, the video platform’s e-commerce arm. Marketing firms that rely on TikTok have rushed to put contingency plans in place in what one executive described as a “hair on fire” moment after months of widespread knowledge that there would be a solution to keep the app on fire to keep running. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the U.S. presidential inauguration on Sunday and attend a rally with Trump, a source told Reuters. Suitors including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt have expressed interest in the fast-growing company, which analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion. Media reports said Beijing has also held talks about selling TikTok’s US operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, although the company has denied this. US search engine startup Perplexity AI on Saturday submitted an offer to ByteDance to merge Perplexity with TikTok US, a source familiar with the company’s plans told Reuters. Perplexity would merge with TikTok US, creating a new entity by merging the combined company with other partners, the person added. Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock (NYSE:) and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees each own 20%. The company employs more than 7,000 people in the USA
