TikTok was back online for US users just 12 hours after the initial outage.
In a dramatic series of events that reshaped America’s social media landscape over the weekend, TikTok has resumed operations after a planned ban, thanks to intervention by – at the time of writing – President-elect Donald Trump. The move represents a dramatic shift for Trump, who in 2020 tried to ban the platform through executive order, calling it a threat to national security. Now, with over 14.9 million followers on the platform, he positions himself as its defender.
In his proposed framework via Truth Social on Sunday, Trump described a structure where “the United States takes a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” indicating plans to issue an executive order after today’s inauguration that would to extend the grace period before the law. bans take effect.
TikTok’s restoration marks a significant shift in the ongoing regulatory challenges facing Chinese-owned technology companies operating in the United States. The short-form video app, which serves about 170 million US users, was rendered unusable late Saturday night after a Supreme Court ruling upheld the Act to Protect Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversaries. Users attempting to access the platform were met with a message that read: “A law has been passed in the US that bans TikTok, unfortunately, this means you cannot use TikTok at this time.”
However, on Sunday afternoon — roughly 12 hours after the initial shutdown — TikTok began restoring service to existing users, though the restoration process proved uneven. Users reported mixed levels of accessibility, with some regaining full access to both web browsers and mobile apps, while others could only access certain features of the platform.
While existing users have regained varying levels of account access, significant technical restrictions remain in place. The app continues to be unavailable for new downloads on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. In addition, ByteDance’s sister apps — including video editing tool CapCut and lifestyle-focused platform Lemon8 — remain inaccessible to US users, highlighting the broader impact of the legislation.
Great technical impact
TikTok’s unblocking will be welcome news for the app’s millions of users in the US.
Despite assurances that the Biden administration would defer implementation to the incoming Trump administration, service providers expressed significant concerns about the ban. A person close to TikTok told CNN that “many critical service providers” had expressed their concerns to TikTok about the potential implementation starting Sunday. The stakes are substantial — under the legislation, companies faced potential fines of up to $5,000 per user accessing TikTok, a figure that could run into the billions in fines given the platform’s 170 million US users.
Oracle, which hosts TikTok content in the United States, was among the service providers affected by the legislation. Trump’s announcement appears to have provided enough clarity for these companies to maintain their support, although the long-term legal framework remains undefined.
App market operators also took immediate action in response to the legislation. Apple’s statement clearly describes its position – “Apple is obliged to follow the laws in the jurisdictions in which it operates.” While the app remains accessible to customers who have already downloaded it, Apple confirmed that it “will no longer be available for download or updates in the App Store for users in the United States.” Google’s Play Store implemented similar restrictions.
The future of TikTok
TikTok CEO Shou Zi has expressed his gratitude to Trump after canceling the blackout.
Overall, TikTok’s restoration appears to provide US tech partners with a critical window to evaluate their operational strategies. The company’s official statement emphasized the platform’s commitment to maintaining operations in the US – “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary assurance and clarity to our service providers that they will not face any penalties for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
While Trump’s proposed executive order could provide immediate relief from penalties, however, service providers are likely to face complex decisions about infrastructure investments and compliance protocols amid regulatory uncertainty.
As for TikTok CEO Shou Chew, he is expected to attend today’s inauguration ceremony, signaling continued engagement between the platform and the incoming administration. This could be crucial given the technical implementation of Trump’s proposed solution, given the significant regulatory hurdles. While his anticipated executive order may provide temporary relief, however, any permanent solution will likely require either new legislation or fundamental changes to the architecture of TikTok’s US operations.
For the foreseeable future, the platform’s weekend shutdown and subsequent restoration represents a critical sticking point in the ongoing discourse surrounding data privacy, national security, and the integration of Chinese technology platforms into Western markets.
