On January 18, 2025, TikTok ceased operations in the United States due to a new law mandating its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its ownership or face a ban. This shutdown affected approximately 170 million U.S. users.
In response, President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to issue an executive order extending the deadline for ByteDance to divest, allowing TikTok to continue operations temporarily. He proposed that the United States should own 50% of TikTok, suggesting that China’s continued partial ownership would not pose a problem.
Following Trump’s assurances, TikTok began restoring its services on January 19, 2025. The company expressed gratitude to President-elect Trump for providing clarity and assurance to service providers, enabling the platform to remain accessible to U.S. users.
Despite the restoration, the future of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain. The platform must comply with the new law’s requirements to avoid a permanent ban, and ongoing negotiations will determine its long-term availability to American users.
STATEMENT FROM TIKTOK:
In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170…
— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) January 19, 2025