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1 week ago

TikTok ban live: App goes offline with message saying it’s ‘temporarily unavailable’ but suggests Trump could save it

TikTok said the Biden administration must give the likes of Google and Apple reassurances that they won’t be punished, or they will pull the app in the U.S.

Oliver O'Connell
Saturday 18 January 2025 22:46 EST
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US TikTok ban: When will the Chinese-owned social media app be banned?

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The fate of 170 million TikTok users is now in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law requiring TikTok to be sold to a U.S. company or banned by Sunday, January 19.

But, the White House said it would not enforce the law since Trump takes office the following day, leaving it up to the incoming president.

Trump has promised to “save” TikTok, though it’s unclear how he plans to do so. On Saturday, he told NBC News that he would “most likely” give the company a 90-day extension.

A law, passed by Congress last year, requires TikTok to divest from its parent company, ByteDance, due to its proximity to the Chinese government. Lawmakers are concerned that China, a foreign adversary, could access Americans’ data and impede their privacy.

TikTok asked the Supreme Court to intervene, believing it was a violation of the First Amendment. The court disagreed.

While the law only requires that TikTok be removed from Google and Apple app stores, TikTok has indicated that it will take itself offline completely and “go dark”. Without an enforcement mechanism, it’s unclear if that will happen.

1 week ago

What is Rednote and why are TikTok users switching over?

A Chinese short-form video app called Xiaohongshu is now the top free app in the Apple App Store, as social media users look to get out ahead of a potential US TikTok ban set to take effect on Sunday.

The app, known as RedNote in English, functions like a cross between Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, and boasts over 300 million monthly active users, considerably below the user base of TikTok.

Josh Marcus takes a look.

What is RedNote? Chinese app shoots to no 1 with TikTok ban looming

TikTok ban set to take effect January 19 if American buyer not found

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 21:00
1 week ago

Trump confirms a likely 90-day extension for TikTok while they ‘figure something out'

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 20:52
1 week ago

How do Americans feel about the TikTok ban?

Surprisingly, Republicans are more likely to support a ban of TikTok despite Donald Trump’s favorable stance toward the app.

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 20:30
1 week ago

TikTok holding out for Trump to reverse ban

TikTok’s only chance of avoiding a ban in the US appears to lie with incoming president Donald Trump.

Here’s what you need to know.

TikTok is holding out for Trump to reverse ban

More than 170 million people in the US use TikTok

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 20:00
1 week ago

TikTok star says poignant goodbye with one last viral salmon bowl

Emily Mariko, who rose to fame as a TikTok food and lifestyle influencer, posted a poignant farewell video the day before the January 19 deadline that will require the social media platform to either be sold to a U.S. company or banned.

In the video, Mariko is alongside her son, Theodore as she assembles her infamous salmon bowl — the dish that first exploded her large online presence to over 12 million followers.

Brittany Miller has the story.

TikTok star Emily Mariko says poignant goodbye with one last viral salmon bowl

The TikTok ban is scheduled to go into effect on January 19

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 19:30
1 week ago

RedNote users in China welcome TikTok refugees

TikTok users in the US have reported receiving a warm welcome on other Chinese-owned apps amid a looming ban of the hugely popular social media platform.

China-based Lemon8 and RedNote have both experienced a surge in downloads from US users as the 19 January deadline for the TikTok ban approaches, each topping the app charts.

Anthony Cuthbertson reports.

TikTok refugees welcomed by alternative Chinese apps ahead of ban

Connection between Chinese and American netizens ‘genuinely beautiful’, writes one new RedNote user

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 19:00
1 week ago

White House calls TikTok statement a 'stunt’

Biden White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has called the TikTok statement about being forced to go dark Sunday a “stunt.”

We have seen the most recent statement from TikTok. It is a stunt, and 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. We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration. So TikTok and other companies should take up any concerns with them.

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 18:40
1 week ago

Trump says he will ‘most likely’ give TikTok a 90-day reprieve on ban

In a phone interview with NBC News’s Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump said he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a potential ban in the U.S. after he takes office on Monday.

Trump said he hadn’t made a final decision but was considering a 90-day extension of the Sunday deadline for TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell to a non-Chinese-buyer or face a U.S. ban.

“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump said.

“If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday,” he said.

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 18:30
1 week ago

In numbers: How TikTok became the world’s most controversial app

After amassing more than 170 million users in the country in less than seven years, TikTok is now facing an outright ban in the US.

Anthony Cuthbertson reports on how it became the most controversial app in the world.

How TikTok became the world’s most controversial app

More than 3 billion people are already blocked from using the app, writes Anthony Cuthbertson

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 18:00
1 week ago

When will the TikTok ban begin?

Massive social media app TikTok could be banned in the US unless its Chinese parent company sells it by Sunday. At the time of writing, the app remains active in the United States.

The proposed ban was enacted by Congress with bipartisan supportin April. Now, that law is being disputed in front of the Supreme Court. The ban gave Chinese-owned ByteDance until 19 January to sell TikTok. If it fails to do so, a nationwide ban is set to come into force – despite having 170 million US users.

Albert Toth reports.

US TikTok ban: When could the Chinese-owned social media app be banned?

The US TikTok ban is set to come into force soon

Oliver O'Connell18 January 2025 17:00

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