TikTok ban comes into effect in US, company pins hope on Trump administration
The United States has never banned a major social media platform. The law passed overwhelmingly by Congress gives the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.
PTC News Desk: The ban on social media platform TikTok came into effect on Sunday in the United States and disappeared from Apple and Google app stores.
Several screenshots of the app, which has over 170 million users in the US, shared on social media showed a message on the short-video platform stating that a law banning TikTok had been enacted, with the message, "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now".
"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned," the message notified users trying to use the app late on Saturday night.
The temporary and unprecedented shutdown of TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, is poised to significantly affect U.S.-China relations, U.S. domestic politics, the social media industry, and millions of Americans who rely on the app both economically and culturally.
The United States has never banned a major social media platform. The law passed overwhelmingly by Congress gives the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.