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TikTok told its 170 million U.S. users on Saturday that the app would be “temporarily” suspended after a deadline expires, requiring its Chinese parent ByteDance to either sell its stake in the app or face a ban.
In a pop-up that appears when users open the short video app, the company wrote: “We regret that the U.S. law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19, forcing us to temporarily be unable to provide services.”
It added: “We are working to restore service in the United States as soon as possible and thank you for your support. Please stay tuned. Otherwise, the app remains available to users.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law passed by Congress last year that requires ByteDance to sell the platform or face a nationwide ban on Sunday over concerns it could be used by Beijing for espionage or communications. publicity.
On Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump said he would “probably” extend the deadline by 90 days after taking office in the White House on Monday.
However, the law will ban companies such as Apple, Google and Oracle from providing services that distribute or host video applications starting at midnight, or face fines of $5,000 per user.
Late Friday, TikTok said the White House and Justice Department statements “failed to provide necessary clarity and assurance to service providers that are critical to maintaining TikTok’s availability in the United States” and did not “serve the needs of the most… If the requirements of key service providers are not implemented, TikTok will be forced to shut down on January 19.
This is a development story.
