TikTok temporarily halted in the U.S. as Donald Trump seeks a 50% American ownership stake.
The popular social media app TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, temporarily ceased operations in the United States, impacting over 170 million American users.
This development occurred just before a law enabling its ban was set to take effect.
The app was removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
According to the BBC, efforts are underway to restore the service.
The administration of outgoing U.S. President
Joe Biden announced that the enforcement of the legislation would be handled by the incoming administration led by Republican
Donald Trump.
As Trump prepared to take office, he indicated a willingness to grant a 90-day reprieve for TikTok through an executive order, though subsequent statements suggested a more specific approach.
Trump expressed interest in negotiating terms under which the U.S. would gain a 50% ownership stake in the platform through a joint venture, with the aim of securing its operation within the country.
On his platform, Truth Social, Trump stated that he would issue instructions to delay the law's enforcement before it took effect on his inauguration day.
He underscored the importance of U.S. approval for TikTok's operation, suggesting its value could reach hundreds of billions, potentially even trillions, with such cooperation.
Trump proposed a joint venture involving current and potential new owners whereby the U.S. would have significant control over the platform.
While the outcome of these proposals remains uncertain, TikTok has announced that service restoration is in progress.
The company also signaled its commitment to collaborate with the Trump administration to develop a long-term solution preventing its ban in the U.S.
Previously, Trump had supported banning TikTok based on concerns that user data could potentially be accessed by the Chinese government.
The platform, however, argues that such measures would be an infringement on free speech rights.