TikTok Returns Online in the US: Service Restoration Announced

TikTok has announced that, after a brief outage of about half a day, its service is resuming in the US. The company posted on X that it is “in the process of restoring service” and expressed gratitude to President Trump for “providing the necessary clarity” to facilitate this process.

TikTok:

In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties delivering TikTok to over 170 million Americans and enabling over 7 million small businesses to prosper.

This is a strong affirmation of the First Amendment and a stance against arbitrary censorship. We are committed to collaborating with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok operational in the United States.

Last night, TikTok blocked US users ahead of the federal ban’s deadline, displaying a message indicating that its services were “temporarily unavailable” due to the ban.

Some users, including myself, were able to access TikTok via mobile and desktop web browsers over the past hour. However, the app is still not accessible in Apple’s App Store and on Android via Google Play. Both app stores currently display messages explaining the app’s unavailability when searching for TikTok:

Screenshot: Google Play app store

Screenshot: iOS App Store

After the Biden administration stated that enforcement “will be up to the next administration to implement,” Donald Trump announced today his intention to delay the TikTok ban. He mentioned that it would necessitate the app’s sale, potentially involving “a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. secures a 50 percent stake.”

Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts released a joint statement Sunday morning asserting that there was “no legal basis” to extend the ban’s effective date beyond January 19th while commending Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft for removing the app from their stores. Both senators had contacted “some of the major tech companies in recent days to emphasize the need for compliance with the law,” according to The New York Times.

Developing…