The deadline for ByteDance to sell the app is just days away. A new report suggests that Washington residents are concerned about the ban.
TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Saturday and disappeared from Apple and Google app stores ahead of a law that takes effect Sunday requiring the shutdown of the app used by 170 million Americans.
A law signed by outgoing US President Joe Biden forced the social media platform, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, to be sold or be banned by 19 January.
Trump arrived in Washington Saturday evening. His transition team did not immediately respond to the TikTok shutdown. Trump on Friday said that the Supreme Court's decision was expected "and everyone must respect it." "My decision on TikTok will be made in ...
Challenges came in tandem with TikTok’s success. U.S. officials expressed concerns about the company’s roots and ownership, pointing to laws in China that require Chinese companies to hand over data requested by the government. Another concern became the proprietary algorithm that populates what users see on the app.
TikTok has until Jan 19 to cut ties with its China-based parent ByteDance or shut down its US operation over national security fears. Read more at straitstimes.com.
With a TikTok ban scheduled to go into effect in the United States on Sunday, many users began to see messages preventing them from using the app when they opened it after 10 p.m. Eastern on Saturday.
TikTok said it will have to "go dark" this weekend unless the outgoing Biden administration assures the company it won't enforce a shutdown of the popular app after the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law banning the app unless it's sold by its China-based parent company.
For now, TikTok’s ability to operate stateside hangs in the balance after the Supreme Court upheld the law demanding that TikTok divest from its Chinese owner or face a ban.
The company announced the shutdown in a pop-up message on the app that only allows users to "learn more" about the federal law or close the app.
TikTok’s time in the United States is counting down. But Washington is only the latest government to impose restrictions on the video app.