The TikTok application stopped working in the United States yesterday evening, Saturday, and was no longer available on the Apple and Google online stores before the implementation of a law stipulating the closure of the platform today, Sunday, which is used by 170 million Americans.
US President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with the American network NBC published yesterday, Saturday, that he is considering giving the TikTok application a period of 3 months before implementing the ban.
He added, “I think this would certainly be an option that we are considering. A 90-day extension is something that is likely to happen, because it is appropriate. You know, it is appropriate. We should look at it carefully. It is a very big issue. If you decide to do that, “I will probably announce it on Monday.”
The TikTok app told users in a notice that appeared to users on Saturday evening, “A law has been passed banning TikTok in the United States. Unfortunately, you cannot use TikTok at this time. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us to find a solution to bring TikTok back as soon as possible.” Wait for him to take office.
The importance of TikTok in America
Nearly 170 million Americans use the TikTok application, and it is extremely popular among young people and school students. On average, an American spends 51 minutes a day on the application.
The application’s market value is estimated at between $40 and $50 billion. The value of its advertising revenues in America in 2024 is estimated at approximately $16 billion, according to eMarketer, a research company.
The United States has never banned a major social media platform before. The law, passed by Congress by an overwhelming majority, gives the new Trump administration broad authority to ban other applications owned by Chinese companies or pay to sell them.
Other platforms owned by ByteDance, which owns the TikTok application, including the video editing application (Cap Cut) and the social networking application (Lemon 8), have become unavailable on app stores in the United States since yesterday, Saturday.
TikTok warned on Friday that it would stop its application in the United States on Sunday unless the administration of President Joe Biden provides guarantees to companies such as Apple and Google that they will not face legal action when the ban goes into effect.
Under a law passed last year and unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, the platform had until Sunday to cut ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance or close its operations in the United States to end concerns about its threat to national security.
The White House confirmed on Saturday that it was up to the Trump administration to take action.
“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
On Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Washington accused the United States of using unfair state power to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to vigorously protect its legitimate rights and interests,” an embassy spokesman said.
Alternatives
Uncertainty about the future of the application prompted users, most of whom are young, to look for alternatives, including China-based Red Note. Shares of Meta and Snapchat also rose this month before the ban, as investors bet on the influx of users and advertising revenue.
Minutes after TikTok was closed in the United States, some users switched to billionaire Elon Musk’s X platform.
NordVPN, a popular company that provides virtual private networking services that allow users to connect to the Internet via various servers around the world, said it was “experiencing temporary technical difficulties.”
Such networks allow users to circumvent the ban on applications and websites in some regions.
According to Google Trends, searches for virtual private networking services increased in the minutes following the closure of TikTok in the United States.
It is noteworthy that Elon Musk, who was appointed by US President-elect Donald Trump to head the Ministry of Government Efficiency, paid $44 billion to buy Twitter (currently X) three years ago, when its advertising business amounted to only $4.5 billion annually.
