TikTok is restoring service. Trump By Reuters

David Shepherdson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok said on Sunday it was restoring its service after President-elect Donald Trump said he would resume access to the app in the United States if he takes office on Monday.

“As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok has returned to the United States,” the platform said in a message to users.

TikTok also issued an earlier statement after reports that U.S. users were able to access the Chinese-owned service’s website, while the much more widely used TikTok app itself is starting to come back online for some users with only a few basic services.

“Pursuant to our agreements with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring our services,” TikTok said in a previous statement, adding that it had “provided the necessary clarity and assurances to our service providers that they will not face any penalties.” “I thanked Trump for that,” he said. TikTok reaches more than 170 million Americans and enables more than 7 million small businesses to thrive.”

TikTok’s public thank you speech, coming a day before President Trump’s inauguration, comes at a moment of tension in U.S.-China relations. While Trump has said he plans to impose tariffs on China, he has also said he hopes to engage more directly with the Chinese leader.

TikTok suspended its service for U.S. users late Saturday before a law took effect on Sunday shutting it down on national security grounds. U.S. officials have warned that Americans’ data could be at risk of being misused by Chinese parent company ByteDance.

“I will extend the period until the law’s ban takes effect so that we can reach an agreement to protect our national security,” Trump said.

“I would like the US to have 50% ownership in the joint venture,” he wrote on Truth Social.

President Trump said his executive order would specify that there would be no liability for any company that helped TikTok go dark before issuing the order.

Trump previously said he would most likely impose a 90-day moratorium on the ban on TikTok after he takes office, a promise the company cited in a notice it posted to users of the app.

“A law has been enacted to ban TikTok in the United States. Unfortunately, this means TikTok is currently unavailable. We are fortunate that President Trump has stated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned. please.” Late Saturday, Apple (NASDAQ:) and Google (NASDAQ:) app stores announced a message to TikTok users who had disappeared.

Trump’s saving of TikTok marks a reversal of his stance since his first term. In 2020, he aimed to ban short-video apps over concerns that the companies were sharing Americans’ personal information with the Chinese government. Trump recently credited the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 election, saying, “I have a warm place in my heart for TikTok.” In August 2020, Trump signed an executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok, but gave Oracle (NYSE:) and Walmart (NYSE:) his blessing on the deal, which was structured as a partnership rather than a sale involving both new stakes. . company. Not everyone in Trump’s Republican Party agreed with the effort to avoid the law and “save TikTok.” Republican Senators Tom Ricketts and Pete Ricketts said in a joint statement: “Now that the law has gone into effect, there is no legal basis to ‘extend’ the effective date. For TikTok to return online in the future, ByteDance must sever all ties between TikTok and the Chinese Communist Party, thereby making a sale that satisfies the law’s qualifying sale requirements. I agree.” The United States has never banned a major social media platform. The law, which passed overwhelmingly in Congress, gives the incoming Trump administration sweeping powers to ban or seek to sell other Chinese-owned apps. Other apps owned by ByteDance, including video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in U.S. app stores as of late Saturday. Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Moving to Alternatives Under a law passed last year and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, the platforms have until Sunday to cut ties with their China-based parent or close their U.S. operations to address concerns that it poses a national security threat. I had to do it. . On Friday, China’s embassy in Washington accused the United States of using unfair state power to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” the spokesperson said. Uncertainty about the app’s future has sent users, mostly young people, scrambling for alternatives, including China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta (NASDAQ:) and Snap have seen their stock prices rise this month ahead of the ban. This is because investors are betting on an influx of users and advertising dollars. ‘HAIR ON FIRE’ MOMENT Web searches for ‘VPN’ soared minutes after US users lost access to TikTok, according to Google Trends. Instagram users were worried whether they would still be able to receive purchases from TikTok Shop, the video platform’s e-commerce arm. Marketing companies that rely on TikTok are rushing to prepare contingency plans in a moment one executive described as “hair on fire” after months of conventional wisdom that a solution to keep the app running would take shape. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the US presidential inauguration on Sunday and attend a rally with Trump, sources told Reuters. Suitors, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in the fast-growing business, which analysts estimate could be worth $50 billion. China has also discussed selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, according to media reports. However, the company denied this. US search engine startup Perplexity AI on Saturday submitted a bid to ByteDance to merge Perplexity with TikTok US, sources familiar with the company’s plans told Reuters. Perplexity added that it will merge with TikTok US and combine the merged company with other partners to create a new entity. Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock (NYSE:) and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees each own 20%. We have more than 7,000 employees in the United States.