Did Trump’s promise bring back TikTok in the US?

TikTok users successful the United States gained partial entree to the fashionable societal media app connected Sunday, conscionable hours earlier President-elect Donald Trump’s promised reinstatement bid was expected to instrumentality effect.

Earlier connected Saturday, the app was taken offline aft the US Supreme Court refused to rescue TikTok from a caller instrumentality requiring the owner, ByteDance, to merchantability fashionable short-video app to an American institution – the archetypal specified enactment against a wide utilized societal media site.

Trump, who is acceptable to beryllium sworn successful connected Monday, has promised to contented an enforcement bid instantly aft helium takes bureau and to assistance the institution much clip to comply. On Sunday, during a rally held up of his inauguration, Trump proclaimed that “as of today, TikTok is back” and credited the app for winning him young voters successful the November wide elections.

Here’s what you request to cognize astir the prohibition and Trump’s promise:

How was Trump capable to reverse the TikTok ban?

President-elect Trump, who antecedently backed a TikTok ban, promised connected Sunday to walk an enforcement bid to halt the national prohibition temporarily.

In a station connected his Truth Social platform, Trump said the bid would “extend the play of clip earlier the law’s prohibitions instrumentality effect” and let TikTok to find a US institution to stock 50 percent ownership with.

Trump had antecedently said successful media interviews that the bid would past for an archetypal 90 days.

Is TikTok moving successful the US now?

TikTok confirmed it was successful the “process of restoring service” successful a Sunday connection connected X. The institution besides thanked Trump for providing “clarity and assurance to our work providers that they volition look nary penalties”.

According to the US quality outlet NPR, TikTok’s hosting providers, Oracle and Akamai, person besides restored their services.

US users were greeted with a “welcome back” connection connected the app connected Sunday and are present capable to usage it. The connection work successful part: “As a effect of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is backmost successful the US.”

Earlier connected Saturday, users accessing the tract could lone spot a notification stating: “A instrumentality banning TikTok has been enacted successful the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t usage TikTok for now.”

TikTok president Shou Zi Chew besides sent a memo to advertisers connected Sunday, saying the app would beryllium backmost online for a “majority of US users”, according to a study by the tech website The Verge. “We expect immoderate impermanent work instability that whitethorn impact advertizing successful the US,” helium wrote, including unrecorded advertisement campaigns.

A TikTok contented creator joins pro-TikTok demonstrators extracurricular the US Capitol successful Washington, DC connected April 23, 2024 [Mariam Zuhaib/AP]

Is TikTok disposable again successful the app stores?

Not yet. New downloads via the Google oregon Apple app stores were not imaginable by Monday and lone users who had downloaded the app earlier the prohibition could perchance entree it. Google said it had paused downloads and cited “US ineligible requirements”.

Meanwhile, the Apple store said TikTok and ByteDance apps “are not disposable successful the state oregon portion you are in”.

The instrumentality banning TikTok stipulates steep fines for companies that supply enactment services for the company.

Why was the app banned?

Concerns implicit TikTok person persisted for years. In 2020, Trump, past US president, spearheaded a failed archetypal effort to prohibition the level and pushed for Microsoft to get it. TikTok, however, agreed astatine the clip to spouse with Oracle connected information extortion technology.

Republicans and Democrats continued to propulsion for a TikTok prohibition connected nationalist information grounds and amid concerns astir information privateness leaks. Officials claimed the Chinese authorities could entree the information of much than 170 cardinal American users done genitor institution ByteDance and could manipulate the algorithm to propulsion Chinese propaganda.

In March 2023, Congress grilled TikTok president Chew for 5 hours, questioning China’s alleged power implicit the app. Chew insisted helium had nary grounds the Chinese authorities had accessed oregon requested information to entree the information of US users.

However, successful March 2024, lawmakers passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA). Under it, ByteDance was fixed an ultimatum: either divest ownership to a US entity oregon cease operations. In April, outgoing US President Joe Biden signed it into law. The caller argumentation gave TikTok a January 19, 2025 deadline by which it indispensable comply oregon beryllium banned.

TikTok challenged the prohibition successful an entreaty tribunal and past the US Supreme Court, arguing that it violated state of code rights. On Friday, the tribunal upheld the law successful a stunning stroke to the company. Other ByteDance applications, specified arsenic the video-editing app CapCut and the video-sharing level Lemon8, were besides blacklisted.

Are determination allegations of radical scapegoating?

Analysts person voiced interest implicit what they accidental is perceived bias successful the lawsuit and constituent retired that different societal media sites airs akin data-mining risks but that Tiktok is being singled retired due to the fact that Chinese entrepreneurs ain it.

Some Chinese Americans, successful particular, person labelled the prohibition arsenic prejudiced and an illustration of radical scapegoating. There are fears that different Chinese-owned companies, similar Alipay, could besides beryllium targeted, should the TikTok prohibition hold.

Rights groups specified arsenic Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) person opposed the prohibition successful beardown terms, calling it “xenophobic”.

“Calls to azygous retired and prohibition TikTok for privacy-based offences that are regularly committed by American-owned companies similar Meta and Alphabet are highly hypocritical and steeped successful xenophobia,” AAJC said successful a connection pursuing the bill’s signing into instrumentality past April.

Tennis subordinate Coco Gauff of the US writes ‘RIP TikTok USA’ aft defeating Belinda Bencic of Switzerland successful a fourth-round lucifer astatine the Australian Open title successful Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, January 19, 2025 [Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP]

What person been the reactions to the Trump order?

Some Republican lawmakers person pushed backmost against Trump’s announcement. On Sunday, Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts, successful a associated statement, said determination was nary ineligible ground for “any benignant of ‘extension’” unless ByteDance agreed to sever “ties” betwixt TikTok and China.

The senators praised Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon for complying with the law. “We promote different companies to bash the same,” they added, informing that companies cooperating with TikTok risked “ruinous bankruptcy”.

Elon Musk, laminitis X and a adjacent state of Trump, has spoken retired against a TikTok prohibition that helium said could interruption state of code and expression. On Sunday, Musk reiterated his stance but said that “the existent concern wherever TikTok is allowed to run successful America, but X is not allowed to run successful China is unbalanced”.

Twitter is besides officially banned successful China. Companies and authorities accounts usage the platform, but lone done a government-approved virtual backstage web (VPN).

Despite this, astatine a property league connected Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Mao Ning urged the US to supply an “open, free, conscionable and non-discriminatory” concern environment, saying that TikTok had boosted employment successful the US.

Ning besides reacted to Musk’s statement, saying, “We invited net enterprises from each countries to make successful China arsenic agelong arsenic they comply with Chinese laws and regulations and supply harmless and reliable products and services.”