Clik here to view.
After being banned in India in September 2020, TikTok is now at risk of getting banned in the United States. Users have not been able to access the app for the last few hours in the Trump-led country. As per a new US Law, TikTok will face a complete ban, unless its parent company ByteDance sells the business to an American company. Let’s dive into the details.
TikTok Ban in the United States: How it Started?
In April 2024, the United States Supreme Court passed a new law to ban TikTok in the country. The court cited security and privacy concerns of the China-based app. It was alleged that TikTok was storing user data in China, and was supposedly sharing it with third parties. It is worth noting that TikTok was banned in India for similar reasons by the Indian Government.
The US Supreme Court also ordered that if TikTok wishes to continue its operations in the United States, then ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, will have to sell the business entirely to a US-based company. Failure to comply with the rule would result in a permanent ban on TikTok in the United States.
ByteDance challenged the law by appealing to the US Supreme Court and other legal agencies in the USA. However, on Friday, January 17, the US Supreme Court upheld the law by dismissing ByteDance’s appeal. Hence, TikTok was headed towards a ban as it refused to sell itself to a US-based entity.
TikTok Users Unable to Access the App in the US
As soon as the law was upheld on Friday, TikTok issued a public statement stating that it could quickly shut down in the United States to adhere to the country’s laws. The official TikTok app also showed a warning, which said, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”
Statement on Possible Shutdown
The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million…
— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) January 18, 2025
Users in the United States were unable to open the app. TikTok was also pulled down from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in the country. But just when it looked all dark for TikTok, a temporary relief arrived in the form of an extension.
TikTok Gets 90 Days Extension in the US
Newly elected US President Donald Trump has provided a 90-day extension to TikTok to comply with the Supreme Court laws. ByteDance now has 90 days to figure out an interim solution with the US Government to keep its services running in the country. However, the conditions have remained the same and ByteDance will be forced to sell TikTok to a US-based company.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Since the extension has been provided, TikTok has quickly resumed its services in the USA. Users now get a new pop-up, which says “Welcome Back”, along with a thank you to President Donald Trump. However, TikTok has not mentioned anything about the 90-day deadline on which it barely continues to survive in America.
I have been against a TikTok ban for a long time, because it goes against freedom of speech.
That said, the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but 𝕏 is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced.
Something needs to change. https://t.co/YVu2hkZEVZ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2025
Elon Musk has also voiced against the TikTok Ban in the US. He mentions that banning the app would go against Freedom of Speech. Elon also highlights that X (formerly Twitter) is currently banned in China, but TikTok has received several chances to continue operating in the US. He added that something needs to change.
Will TikTok get banned in the United States?
We will know the answer only after 90 days, which will come around April 18. This is just an indicative date, which we speculate from the announcement date. President Donald Trump will take charge of his reign today, i.e., Monday, and is expected to provide an update on the TikTok situation soon.
TikTok is a wildly popular social media app in the United States with over 170 million users. It is more popular than its competitors, which include Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and many others. It is worth noting that TikTok is already banned or restricted in 20+ countries which include India, Nepal, Afghanistan, etc. Many countries have also restricted the use of TikTok for government employees.
The post TikTok Ban in the US: What’s Happening? appeared first on MySmartPrice.