A law aimed at halting the operation of the social media platform TikTok in the United States for security reasons has come into force, reports the national portal “Adyrna.”
Previously, the Chinese company ByteDance was required to sell the platform, with a ban being warned if the demand was not met. Prior to the law taking effect, TikTok ceased its operations in the U.S. Users attempting to open the app are now greeted with a message stating it is unavailable.
A law banning TikTok in the U.S. has been passed. Unfortunately, this means you will temporarily be unable to use TikTok, read the message on the app.
Yesterday, Donald Trump told NBC News and ABC that he plans to offer a temporary reprieve of up to 90 days for TikTok. The U.S. President-elect promised to make a relevant statement after the inauguration.
In April 2024, the U.S. Congress passed a law requiring ByteDance to sell the platform to an American company. If this demand was not met, the social media platform was to be blocked starting January 19, 2025.
U.S. officials believe that TikTok, owned by a Chinese company, could allow Beijing to collect data on Americans and influence public opinion.
During a hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court on January 10, representatives of TikTok and content creators argued that the ban would violate the freedom of speech for more than 170 million American users.
In December last year, President-elect Donald Trump asked the court to postpone the matter until he returned to the White House. He stated that he intended to resolve the issue through a “political solution.”
A decision on TikTok will be made soon, but time is needed to analyze the situation, Trump wrote on January 17 on TruthSocial.
The White House confirmed that the implementation of the law would be Trump’s responsibility as he assumes office on January 20.
