TikTok became inaccessible in the US hours before a new law banning the platform was set to take effect. A message displayed to users in the US said that a law banning TikTok had been passed, meaning that "you cannot use TikTok at this time."
The video-sharing platform was banned over concerns about its ties to the Chinese government and was given a January 19 deadline to sell to a US-approved buyer. President Joe Biden had said he would leave the matter to his successor, Donald Trump. Trump has said he will “very likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office on Monday.
“A 90-day delay is something I would probably do, because it’s appropriate,” Trump told NBC News on Saturday. “If I decide to do it, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
Users also reported that the app had been removed from Apple and Google's app stores in the US, while the TikTok.com website was not displaying videos.
"We are fortunate that President Trump has shown a willingness to work with us on a solution that will bring TikTok back when he takes office," read the message that appeared after the ban took effect.
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The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law, passed in April last year, that banned the app if its China-based parent company, ByteDance, did not sell the platform by Sunday, which it has not done.
TikTok has argued that the law violates the free speech rights of its 170 million users in the country. Following the ruling, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appealed to Trump, thanking him for his “commitment to finding a solution.” Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
In the hours before the platform became inaccessible, content creators had begun posting videos to say goodbye to their followers. Creator Nicole Bloomgarden told the BBC that TikTok's shutdown would significantly impact her revenue. Another user, Erika Thompson, said that the educational content on the platform would be the "biggest loss" for the community.
A message that appeared earlier Saturday announced that the law would “force us to make our service temporarily unavailable. We are working to restore service in the US as soon as possible.”
