TikTok tells users app service is 'back in the U.S.' after brief shutdown over ban
2 Republicans question whether Trump has 'legal basis' to work around app's ban in U.S.
TikTok said on Sunday it was restoring its service in the United States after president-elect Donald Trump said he would revive the app's access when he returns to power on Monday.
"As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.," the platform said in a message to users.
TikTok also issued an earlier statement after U.S. users reported being able to access the Chinese-owned service's website, while the far more widely used TikTok app itself began coming back online for some users with just a few basic services.
"In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service," TikTok said in the earlier statement. It also thanked Trump for "providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties [for] providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over seven million small businesses to thrive."
TikTok stopped working for U.S. users late on Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. U.S. officials had warned that under Chinese parent company ByteDance, there was a risk of Americans' data being misused.
Trump said he would "extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security."
"I would like the United States to have a 50 per cent ownership position in a joint venture," he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said the executive order would specify there would be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before his order.
Reversal of position
Trump had earlier said he would most likely give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office — a promise the company cited in a notice posted to users on the app.
"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned," a message notified users of TikTok, which disappeared from Apple and Google app stores late on Saturday.
Not everyone in Trump's Republican Party agreed with efforts to get around the law.
Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts said in a joint statement: "Now that the law has taken effect, there is no legal basis for any kind of 'extension' of its effective date. For TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that satisfies the law's qualified-divestiture requirements by severing all ties between TikTok and Communist China."
The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform. The law passed overwhelmingly by Congress.
Trump saving TikTok represents a reversal in stance from his first term in office. In 2020, he aimed to ban the app over concerns the company was sharing Americans' personal info with the Chinese government. But more recently, Trump has said he has "a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," crediting the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 presidential election.
With files from The Associated Press