For now, TikTik is no more.
People were posting all over Facebook Saturday evening as they came across the pop-up message that read: "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now."
The social media app became officially unavailable on Saturday, Jan. 18, just hours before the law banning TikTok's distribution in the United States was set to be enforced.
"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now," the message continues.
The pop-up then mentions Donald Trump's recent remarks that he will "most likely" grant TikTok an extension for its China-based parent company to sell the platform to a non-Chinese buyer when he assumes the office of President of the United States on Monday, Jan. 20.
"We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!" the company concluded.
Just two days prior to the deadline, on Friday, Jan. 17, the Supreme Court decided that the legislation requiring TikTok to halt U.S. operations unless it divested from Chinese ownership is constitutional, upholding an appeals court's earlier decision that the mandate to sell or ban did not infringe upon the First Amendment.
Attorneys for TikTok previously said in court that the app will "go dark" if the law went into effect, although they didn't go into specific details about their plans, short of saying that "essentially, the platform shuts down."
In a video statement released after the court's decision came out, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew didn't directly address the ruling, or the company's plans, but instead thanked President-elect Trump, 78, "for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States."
The same day, Trump shared a message on his Truth Social platform, writing that the court’s decision “was expected, and everyone must respect it.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social - “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation,” he said - “Stay tuned!”
Although it's unclear what actions Trump might take, The Washington Post previously reported that he was considering issuing an executive order after taking office, which would suspend enforcement of the ban for somewhere between 60 to 90 days. This would give him time to broker a sale - something TikTok and ByteDance have not been willing to do in the past - or offer another solution.
Trump told NBC News’ Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker in a phone interview on Jan. 18 that he will soon potentially give TikTok a 90-day extension.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump said, per NBC News.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that "President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months. ... TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law."
However, the press secretary added that given the "sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday."
The sell-or-ban legislation, which overwhelmingly passed in Congress and was signed by Biden last year is designed to force Chinese owners ByteDance to sell the popular app over fears China's government could use its data to manipulate or harm Americans (an argument TikTok has called "outright censorship of the American people.)
According to the law, if TikTok is not sold by its owner — or "divested" and subsequently purchased by an entity that is not a "foreign adversary" — it will be illegal for internet services in the U.S. to support or distribute the app. This would result in the app being removed from app stores (such as Apple or Google) and becoming inaccessible through internet browsers in America.
If TikTok or other internet companies broke the law, they might also incur substantial financial penalties, although the Justice Department is responsible for enforcing the law. (Trump's nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, did not confirm her commitment to enforcing the law during her recent confirmation hearing).
Trump initially revealed his intention to prohibit the platform from functioning in the U.S. during his first term as president in April 2020. This effort was subsequently halted by Biden's administration in February 2021, although Trump later enacted the ban-or-sell legislation last April.
The ban comes amid growing security concerns that China could use the app as a surveillance tool on American citizens and as a way to access information or data on them without their knowledge.
TikTok has refuted claims that data from the app would be shared with the Chinese government, and the Chinese foreign ministry contended that "the U.S. has never discovered any proof of TikTok threatening U.S. national security," as reported by Reuters.
The Financial Times reported in March 2024 that TikTok, which was launched in 2016 and headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore (with offices in such cities as New York, London, Dubai and Tokyo), generated $16 billion in sales in the U.S. the previous year.
A Pew Research poll released in December 2024 found that 32% of Americans supported banning TikTok, a significant drop from the 50% who supported the ban in March 2023.
What are your thoughts on the TikTok ban?
Since the TikTok ban went into effect, there has been a surge in traffic to RedNote, according to comments left on social media.
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