After the proposed TikTok ban was to take effect on Jan. 19 users were taken by surprise on the night of Jan. 18 to a farewell message from TikTok, dark buffer screens with a promise to be reinstated.
The fear of many Americans over TikTok’s demise seems to have come to fruition, though, only for a few hours. As of Jan. 19, TikTok has been reinstated as a fully functioning app, with many Americans able to access their accounts and use the platform.
For the past few months, TikTok has been uncertain about what is to become of the app. Concerns over TikTok’s fate initially began when then-president Trump spearheaded the effort to ban TikTok in 2020, citing national security concerns. Since then, TikTok has been in a years cycle with Congress and the Biden administration.
Starting on Dec. 6, 2024, the Justice Department and TikTok sought out the court for an early December ruling to seek SCOTUS review to remain in compliance with the still impending deadline in January, when the ruling was set to be finalized. The federal appeals panel unanimously upheld that the law banning TikTok is indeed constitutional.
On Dec. 27, 2024, Trump, in a last-ditch effort, requested that the Supreme Court pause its decision until his administration could seek “political resolution” as reported by AP News and Axios.
As Jan. 17 approached, the Supreme Court stood firm in their decision to uphold the banning of TikTok, as it was still rendered a risk to national security unless it was sold by China’s parent company, ByteDance, to an American company.
The ban was set to take effect on Jan. 19, 2025, but left users scrambling as its servers went dark sooner than anticipated. Many reported inaccessibility to the app– a pop-up reading, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” populated across many American users’ devices on Jan.18, as early as 10:30 p.m. EST, as reported by Today News.
As of Jan. 19, TikTok was pulled out of limbo and services have been restored. President-elect Donald Trump has announced on his Truth Social account he intends to resolve this conflict by granting TikTok an extension to find an approved buyer for the platform.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Donald Trump said via Truth Social. “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibition takes effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
Despite TikTok’s return, its stay seems to be contingent on whether or not an agreement between Trump and TikTok’s parent company can be achieved as the president expresses an idealistic business venture for the app to remain accessible to Americans.
“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to stay up,” Trump said via Truth Social. “Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok.”
Jazmine Gracia is a writing contributor for the Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]
