TikTok goes dark for US users, company pins hope on Trump

WASHINGTON - TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Jan 18 and disappeared from Apple and Google app stores ahead of a law that takes effect on Jan 19 requiring the shutdown of the platform used by 170 million Americans.

President-elect Donald Trump has said he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office on Jan 20, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to users on the app.

“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. 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 message notified users trying to use the app late on the night of Jan 18.

Even if temporary, the unprecedented shutdown of TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, is set to have a wide-ranging impact on US-China relations, US domestic politics, the social media marketplace and millions of Americans who depend on the app economically and culturally.

The US has never banned a major social media platform. The law passed overwhelmingly by Congress gives the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.

Other apps owned by ByteDance, including video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in US app stores as at late on Jan 18.

“The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate,” Trump told NBC. “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”

It was not clear if any US users could still access the app, but it was no longer working for many users, and people seeking to access it through a web app were met with the same message that TikTok was no longer working.

The Chinese-owned app, which has captivated nearly half of all Americans, powered small businesses and shaped online culture, said on Jan 17

it will go dark in the US on Jan 19

unless President Joe Biden’s administration provides assurances to companies such as Apple and Google that they will not face enforcement actions when a ban takes effect.

Move to alternatives

Under a law passed in 2024 and upheld on Jan 17 by a unanimous Supreme Court, the platform has until Jan 19 to cut ties with its China-based parent ByteDance or shut down its US operation to resolve concerns it poses a threat to national security.

The White House dismissed TikTok’s comment on Jan 17 as a stunt, reiterating on Jan 18 that it was up to the incoming Trump administration to take action, increasing the likelihood of a shutdown on Jan 19.

“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new White House statement.

The Chinese embassy in Washington on Jan 17 accused the US of using unfair state power to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” a spokesperson said.

Uncertainty over the app’s future had sent users – mostly younger people – scrambling to alternatives, including China-based RedNote, which in Asia is better known by its Mandarin name Xiaohongshu.

Rivals Meta and Snap have seen their share prices rise in January ahead of the ban, as investors bet on an influx of users and advertising dollars.

“This is my new home now,” wrote a user in a RedNote post, tagged with the words “tiktokrefugee” and “sad”.

Minutes after TikTok’s US shutdown, other users took to X, formerly called Twitter.

“I didn’t really think that they would cut off TikTok. Now I’m sad and I miss the friends I made there. Hoping it all comes back in just a few days,” wrote @RavenclawJedi.

“Hair on fire” movement

NordVPN, a popular virtual private network, or VPN, allowing users to access the internet from servers around the world, said it was “experiencing temporary technical difficulties”.

Web searches for “VPN” spiked in the minutes after US users lost access to TikTok, according to Google Trends.

Users on Instagram fretted about whether they would still receive merchandise they had bought on TikTok Shop, the video platform’s e-commerce arm.

Marketing firms reliant on TikTok have rushed to prepare contingency plans in what one executive described as a “hair on fire” moment after months of conventional wisdom saying that a solution would materialise to keep the app running.

There have been signs TikTok could make a comeback under Trump, who has said he wants to pursue a “political resolution” of the issue and in December urged the Supreme Court to pause implementation of the ban.

TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew

plans to attend the US presidential inauguration

and attend a rally with Trump on Jan 19, a source told Reuters.

Suitors including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as US$50 billion.

Media reports say Beijing has also held talks about selling TikTok’s US operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, though the company has denied that.

US search engine start-up Perplexity AI submitted a bid on Jan 18 to ByteDance for Perplexity to merge with TikTok US, a source familiar with the company’s plans told Reuters.

Perplexity would merge with TikTok US and create a new entity by combining the merged company with other partners, the person added.

Privately held ByteDance is about 60 per cent owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20 per cent each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the US. REUTERS