TikTok Goes Dark Hours Before U.S. Ban Takes Effect ArticlePure

TikTok is no more — for now.

The social media application is officially down, as of Saturday, Jan. 18, only hours before the law that bans TikTok from being distributed in the United States was set to go into effect.

Users who open the TikTok app are greeted with a pop-up message that reads: “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 message continues.

The pop-up then references Donald Trump’s recent comments that he will “most likely” give TikTok an extension to have its parent company, based in China, sell the platform to a non-Chinese-buyer when he takes office as President of the United States on Monday, Jan. 20. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” the company concluded.

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Just two days before the deadline, on Friday, Jan. 17, the Supreme Court ruled that the law forcing TikTok to cease U.S. operations if it didn’t divest from Chinese ownership is constitutional, affirming an appeals court’s previous ruling that the sell-or-ban mandate didn’t violate the First Amendment.

Attorneys for TikTok previously said in court that the app will “go dark” if the law went into effect, although they didn’t go into specific details about their plans, short of saying that “essentially, the platform shuts down.”

In a video statement released after the court’s decision came out, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew didn’t directly address the ruling, or the company’s plans, but instead thanked President-elect Trump, 78, “for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States.”

That same day, Trump shared a message on his Truth Social platform, writing that the court’s decision “was expected, and everyone must respect it.” 

“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation,” he added. “Stay tuned!”

Although it remains unclear what actions Trump might take, The Washington Post previously reported that he was considering issuing an executive order after taking office, which would suspend enforcement of the ban for somewhere between 60 to 90 days. The delay would give him time to help broker a sale — something TikTok and ByteDance have not been willing to do in the past — or offer another solution.

Trump then told NBC News’ Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker in a phone interview on Jan. 18 that he will soon potentially give TikTok a 90-day extension.

“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump said, per NBC News.

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Of course, with the ban deadline falling just one day before Trump takes office, there have been lingering questions about what President Joe Biden’s administration will — or won’t — do.

In response to the court’s decision, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that “President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months. … TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law.”

However, the press secretary added that given the “sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday.”

The sell-or-ban legislation, which overwhelmingly passed in Congress and was signed by Biden, 82, last year, is designed to force Chinese owners ByteDance to sell the popular app over fears China’s government could use its data to manipulate or harm Americans (an argument TikTok has called “outright censorship of the American people.)

Under the law, if TikTok isn’t sold by its owner — or “divested” and then bought by a non-“foreign adversary ” — then it will become illegal for internet services in the U.S. to support or distribute it and the law would force the app to be removed from app stores (like Apple or Google) and make it inaccessible through internet browsers in America.

If TikTok or other internet companies violated the law, they could also face giant financial penalties — although enforcement of the law is up to the Justice Department. (Trump’s pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, declined to say whether she would commit to enforcing the law during her recent confirmation hearing).

There has been talk of banning TikTok in the U.S. since it surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Trump first announced his plan to ban the platform from operating in the U.S. during his first presidential term in April 2020, an attempt that was later paused by Biden’s administration in February 2021, although he did go on to sign the ban-or-sell legislation last April.

The ban comes amid growing security concerns that China could use the app as a surveillance tool on American citizens and as a way to access information or data on them without their knowledge.

TikTok has denied that information on the app would be shared with the Chinese government, and the Chinese foreign ministry also argued that “the U.S. has never found any evidence of TikTok posing a threat to the U.S.’s national security,” according to Reuters. 

The Financial Times reported in March 2024 that TikTok, which was launched in 2016 and headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore (with offices in such cities as New York, London, Dubai and Tokyo), generated $16 billion in sales in the U.S. the previous year.

As for what Americans think of theTikTok ban, a Pew Research poll released in December 2024 found that 32% of Americans supported banning TikTok, a significant drop from the 50% who supported the ban in March 2023.