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TikTok servers go back online in US after temporary shutdown

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Sunday, January 19, 2025

On Sunday, TikTok went back online after going offline. This happened after President-elect Trump made a pledge to save the app.

Trump said, "I'm asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security."

Trump also said on Truth Media "The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order."

Bytedance, TikTok's parent company, failed to comply with a law that required it to sell its share of the company. The law was enacted on Sunday, when the platform "went dark" in the US during the hours ahead of the enactment of a ban on the app in the country. The law stated that companies that illegally hosted the app could potentially face billions of dollars in fines.

The app also vanished from Google Play and Apple app stores.

The app gave user a message that read "A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now." The message also said that the law "[forced them] to make [their] services temporarily unavailable. [They're] working to restore [their services] in the [US] as soon as possible."

The message also said, "We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office."

Trump said, "The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it's appropriate. [...] If I decide to do that, I'll probably announce it on Monday."

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday."

Marco Rubio, who is Trump's pick for Secretary of State, had previously expressed support for the ban, saying "TikTok extended the Chinese Communist Party's power and influence into our own nation, right under our noses." However, he would later recant this stance, stating solidarity with President-elect Donald Trump.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton broke with his party, saying, "Any company that hosts, distributes, services, or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability under the law, not just from DOJ, but also under securities law, shareholder lawsuits, and state AGs. [...] Think about it."

A ban on a major social media platform by the US government was unprecedented. Free speech advocates likened the ban to the type of authoritarianism US politicians criticize themselves. Free speech advocacy group PEN said, "Restricting access to foreign media is a hallmark of repressive governments, and we should always be wary when national security is invoked to silence speech."

"These 'service providers' have lost their minds [...] There's no assurance that Trump, who's not even the president yet, can provide"

The app had previously said it would go offline on Sunday unless US President Joe Biden guaranteed the decision would go unenforced. Ahead of the servers going down, content creators posted videos bidding farewell to their followers.

Sources

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