TikTok Offline for Over 170 Million US Users as Sell-or-Ban Legislation Takes Effect

Tiktok Services Halted in the US

It’s official: TikTok has shut down its services in the US for now.

The ByteDance-owned app went down for more than 20 minutes, affecting 170 million users in the US late Saturday (Jan. 18) ahead of a law that effectively bans the app from the market going into effect on Sunday (Jan. 19).

The Supreme Court on Friday (Jan. 17) upheld a law requiring TikTok to sell its U.S. operations to avoid shutting down in America, citing security concerns over ties to the Chinese government.

User Experience During Shutdown

TikTok currently displays the following message for users trying to access the platform from the US:

“The US has passed a law banning TikTok. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use TikTok yet.

“We are fortunate that President Trump has made it clear that he will work with us on a solution to rebuild TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned for updates!

“In the meantime, you can still download your data.”




Google and Apple too deleted TikTok from their app stores to comply with the law.

Apart from TikTok, ByteDance-owned apps including CapCut, a video editing platform, and Instagram competitor Lemon8, have also gone offline in the United States.

TikTok warned on Friday following the Supreme Court ruling that it would be “forced to go offline” in the US “if the Biden administration does not immediately provide a final statement to satisfy its most critical non-compliance service providers.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the threat to shut down TikTok in the US was a “stunt.”

Jean-Pierre said: “We have seen TikTok’s latest statement. It’s a trick.”

“We have made our position clear and straightforward: the implementation of this law will move on to the next administration. Therefore, TikTok and other companies should discuss any concerns with them.”

Legal Context and Political Interventions

The Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act targets apps owned by companies in countries the U.S. considers security threats. Joe Biden signed the law into law in April 2024.

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As noted in the message TikTok users in the US now see when they try to log into the app, the company is now betting on political intervention by the future president Donald Trump WHO is reportedly considering a decree to temporarily suspend the law.

The proposed suspension would give the Trump administration time to find a buyer for TikTok’s U.S. operations or find another solution. Washington Post reported on Wednesday (January 15).

Trump indicated on Saturday, according to NBC News, that “a 90-day extension is what will likely be done because it is appropriate.” He added: “We have to look at this carefully. This is a very serious situation.”

In an interview with NBC, the president-elect added: “If I decide to do it, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”

Trump’s inauguration is also scheduled for Monday (January 20).

CEO of TikTok Tzu Chu Show responded to the Supreme Court’s decision Friday in a video statement thanking Trump “for his willingness to work with us to find a solution that allows TikTok to remain available in the United States.”

“I want to thank President Trump for his willingness to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States.”

Tzu Chu Show, TikTok

He added: “This is a strong position in favor of the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. Like we said, TikTok is a place where people can build communities, discover new interests, and express themselves, including over 7 million U.S. businesses who make a living and gain new customers using our platform.

“We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform. Someone who has used TikTok to express their thoughts and views, connect with the world, and create more than 60 billion views of its content in the process.”

TikTok’s CEO is reportedly expected to participate in Trump’s inauguration on Monday.


TikTok’s parent company previously stated that it has no intention to sell the application in the US.

ByteDance’s powerful recommendation algorithm is a key reason for the company’s reluctance to sell the app’s US operations.

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Last Friday (Jan. 10), in more than two hours of oral arguments, TikTok’s lawyers told the Supreme Court about the difficulties of potentially launching the TikTok app in the U.S. without the recommendation algorithm that powers TikTok around the world.

The app’s recommendation algorithm powers the “For You” feed that ByteDance and TikTok describe as “one of the defining features of the TikTok platform.”

Reuters reported last year that TikTok’s parent would “prefer” to shut down the app in the US if it fails to successfully challenge the legislation in court.

The news agency’s sources also said that TikTok uses “the same core algorithms” with other ByteDance-owned apps, such as TikTok’s Chinese subsidiary Douyin.

They added that shutting down TikTok in the US would “have a limited impact” on the company’s global business and that by shutting it down rather than selling it to a US company, it “wouldn’t have to give up its core algorithm.”

Reuters also stated that the app’s short video business in the US “represents a small share of ByteDance’s total revenue and daily active users.”


At this stage, it is unclear how long TikTok will remain offline in the US.

This is a fast-paced story and service could be reinstated on Monday if Trump intervenes with an executive order delaying the legislation.

However, an extended period of downtime could significantly impact US-focused music industry promotional efforts.

Superstar artists from Billie Eilish to Taylor Swift, Post Malone, and more have used TikTok as a key part of their marketing efforts in recent months.

Campaigns will likely be planned for the coming weeks and months, which will now be in limbo as the industry awaits news on TikTok’s long-term fate in the US.


Friday’s Supreme Court decision was welcomed by both the White House and the US Justice Department.

“The court’s decision allows the Department of Justice to stop the Chinese government from using TikTok as a weapon to undermine America’s national security,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

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He added: “Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to the sensitive data of millions of Americans. The Court’s decision affirms that this law protects the national security of the United States consistent with the Constitution.”

The outgoing Biden administration responded to the Supreme Court’s decision by stating that “President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent legislation to the President’s desk in overwhelming bipartisan fashion: TikTok must remain accessible to Americans, but simply under American property or other property that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress when the Act was drafted.”

“Given the timing, the current administration recognizes that implementation efforts simply must be handed over to the next administration, which takes office on Monday.


Last Thursday (January 9), Project Freedom, founded by billionaire entrepreneur Frank McCourt, formally made what the organization calls “The People’s Bet” on TikTok and stated its goal is to relaunch the platform on “new American-made digital infrastructure.”

Project Freedom stated that it has the “financial capacity to complete the transaction,” including “expressions of interest from investors, including large private equity funds, family offices, and high net worth individuals, for adequate equity capital.” It said it also has access to debt financing from “one of the largest banks in the world.” United States.

Elsewhere this week, Bloomberg reported that tech billionaire Elon Musk could potentially save the app.

According to reporting from Bloomberg Monday (Jan. 13), citing sources: “Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option that would involve Musk acquiring TikTok’s U.S. unit if the app is banned.”

Bloomberg added that “it is unclear whether the multi-billionaire and TikTok and ByteDance have had any discussions.”

In response to the media report, a TikTok spokesperson stated: “We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction.”

Perplexity AI is also reported to have made a bid to team up with TikTok in the US.

TikTok goes offline for 170m+ US users, as divest-or-ban law takes effect