On Saturday night (US local time), TikTok sent an important update to US users, stating, “We regret that a US law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19, which will force us to temporarily suspend our services. We are working hard to restore service in the US as quickly as possible and appreciate your support. Please stay tuned for updates.”
This followed a ruling on Friday by the US Supreme Court, which upheld a law requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell the app to a US-based company or face a nationwide ban starting Sunday.
In response to the decision, TikTok issued a statement saying that, unless the Biden Administration provides a clear and definitive statement to reassure critical service providers, the company will unfortunately be forced to shut down on January 19.
“The statements from both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have not provided the clarity and reassurance needed to the service providers essential for TikTok’s operation in the US,” TikTok stated.
US President-elect Donald Trump spoke with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Saturday, telling her that he would “most likely” grant TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid the potential ban once he takes office on Monday.
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew emphasized on Friday, “We will do everything in our power to ensure our platform continues to thrive in the future.” Chew also highlighted in a video that the company and its users “have been fighting to protect the constitutional right to free speech for the more than 170 million Americans” who use TikTok daily, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
