According to news reports, TikTok went offline in the United States less than two hours before a ban was slated to go into effect.
Visitors to the app were met with a message reading: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
The action comes after the Supreme Court upheld a ban that was passed and signed into law by President Joe Biden in April.
The law prevents American companies from hosting or serving content for the Chinese-owned social media platform unless they sell themselves to a buyer from the United States or one of its allies.
However, TikTok may not be gone for long, as the company suggested it could return soon.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” the company posted in its pop-up message to users who opened the app.
President-elect Trump said he will “most likely” delay a ban on TikTok for 90 days after he takes office on Monday, adding that he has not made a final decision in a phone interview with NBC News on Saturday.
“I think that would certainly be an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.”
The app also disappeared from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store while other apps owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance—including CapCut—displayed a similar message Saturday night.
Stay tuned for more updates!
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