Tiktok restores service in USA
Around 12 hours after going dark in the United States, TikTok was running again Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump vowed earlier during the day to postpone the ban from taking effect.
In a statement posted on the social-media platform X on Saturday night, the short video-sharing app announced that it had reached an agreement with its internet service providers and was “in the process of restoring service”.
TikTok thanked Trump for providing “necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans”.
The company also said that it would work with Trump to find a long-term solution that would ensure the app’s normal operation in the United States.
Earlier on Saturday, hours before a federal ban was set to take effect, TikTok temporarily shut down its U.S. services.
In April 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by both chambers of Congress, urging ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company within 270 days. Otherwise, the app would be banned in the U.S. after January 19, 2025, or Sunday.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal law that would ban TikTok starting Sunday unless it is sold. Following that ruling, the Biden administration indicated that enforcement responsibilities would shift to the incoming Trump administration, which will take office on Monday.
TikTok had an estimated 150 million active users in the US in 2023.
Source: AfricaNews
