Trump Delays TikTok Ban in the U.S. After Temporary Shutdown

On January 19th, President Trump delayed the nationwide TikTok ban for 75 days following a 15-hour voluntary suspension of the app in the United States.

The US has endured a turbulent path to the possible salvation of TikTok. The ban came as the government claimed that TikTok is a threat to national security because of Chinese access to data. There were several previous attempts to ban Tiktok, but they ultimately failed. However, the Supreme Court eventually ruled that this new ban was constitutional. 

Several government officials urged TikTok CEO Shou Chew to sell to an American corporation to avoid a ban. But although Americans account for 170 million of TikTok’s users, Chew refused to sell the app, leaving all of its users questioning its future. 

TikTok was voluntarily shut down in the US on Saturday, January 18, just hours ahead of the ban. A message appeared on all US users’ phones, warning that the app was unavailable in the US, but that its return was in the works. 

Just 15 hours later, the app was functioning again in all US territories. However, Tiktok was left unavailable on the app store. After the extension of the ban, a new message appeared on the app, thanking President Trump for his help in restoring the app; however, its future is uncertain.

While TikTok is still functioning in the US, its presence is only guaranteed for 75 days as users await a final decision under new leadership in the executive and legislative branches. Before the ban, Chew stated that Trump has a clear commitment to work with TikTok to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States, but its presence still depends upon finding an American owner. 

The 75 days will be used to discuss what security threats TikTok poses, Trump says, and the future of the app depends upon this answer. In the meantime, the future is unclear. The extension falls in a gray area that implies that TikTok may still function, but because the ban is still in place, distribution of the app is illegal, and the app remains unavailable on the app store. Currently, TikTok is available only if it is already downloaded, and whether it will be available in the US after the 75-day delay on the ban is unknown.

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