The controversial Chinese-owned app TikTok has gone offline, about an hour and a half before a deadline that would see it banned in the US.
The app posted a message at about 10.30 p.m. eastern time saying: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” adding: “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!”
The app’s 170 million users may not have to wait too long – Donald Trump takes office again on Monday and he has indicated that he will probably extend the deadline by at least 90 days, during which a longer-term solution may be found
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law requiring TikTok to be sold to a U.S. company or banned by Sunday, January 19.
A law, passed by Congress last year, requires TikTok to divest from its parent company, ByteDance, due to its proximity to the Chinese government. Lawmakers are concerned that China, a foreign adversary, could access Americans’ data and impede their privacy.
TikTok asked the Supreme Court to intervene, believing it was a violation of the First Amendment. The court disagreed.
While the law only requires that TikTok be removed from Google and Apple app stores, TikTok had indicated that it will take itself offline completely and “go dark”.
Chinese state-backed Gobal Times mocks TikTok going dark
In a commentary on a social media post, state-run Global Times quipped the moment should be recorded in American history.
It said the moment is a record of “the paranoia and hypocrisy of certain anti-China politicians” in America.
TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance and has 170 million users in America, had been at the centre of concerns over supposed risks due to the company’s ties to China which posed a potential risk to national security. However, the app the denied the claims.
Shweta Sharma19 January 2025 06:37
TikTok star says poignant goodbye with one last viral salmon bowl
In the video, Mariko is alongside her son, Theodore as she assembles her infamous salmon bowl — the dish that first exploded her large online presence to over 12 million followers.
Brittany Miller has the story.
Oliver O’Connell19 January 2025 06:00
Coco Gauff writes ‘RIP TikTok USA’ on TV camera at Australian Open as app goes offline
Gauff’s three-set victory in the Grand Slam tournament’s main stadium finished on Sunday afternoon local time in Melbourne — about an hour after TikTok could no longer be found on prominent app stores on Saturday in the United States.
Phil Thomas19 January 2025 05:37
Mixed reactions to TikTok going offline
There were mixed reactions in the immediate aftermath of TikTok going offline, about an hour and a half before a deadline that would have seen it banned.
Former Ohio state senator and Bernie Sanders surrogate Nina Turner tweeted: “Congratulations, Democrats. This could’ve been avoided had you listened to progressives last year when this bill was being forced through Congress.”
Mike Nellis, former senior adviser to Kamala Harris, said TikTok going offline was a “disaster for Democrats.” He tweeted: “Most political issues never touch people’s daily lives—but 170 million Americans just had their favorite social media platform taken away from them. And Trump is going to position himself as the savior.”
Another voice on the left: Tommy Vietor – a former Obama staffer and now a co-host on the Pod Save America podcast – tweeted TikTok’s message explaining why it was offline and suggesting Trump could save it, adding: “Chinese Communist Party running ads for Trump on TikTok.”
Phil Thomas19 January 2025 04:36
TikTok goes dark 90 minutes before deadline but posts message suggesting Trump could save it
TikTok had warned that it would “go dark” before Sunday’s deadline for it to divest from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, and it stuck to its word. About an hour and a half before midnight on the east coast, users trying to access the app were confronted with a message saying that it “isn’t available right now.”
However, the message threw users the tantalising hint that the man who will become president on Monday, Donald J. Trump, could help find a “solution” to help keep TikTok running.
Michelle Del Rey and Oliver O’Connell have the full story:
Phil Thomas19 January 2025 04:22
White House calls TikTok statement a ‘stunt’
Before TikTok went offline late on Saturday, Biden White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the app’s statement about being forced to go dark Sunday a “stunt.”
We have seen the most recent statement from TikTok. It is a stunt, and we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump Administration takes office on Monday. We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration. So TikTok and other companies should take up any concerns with them.
Phil Thomas19 January 2025 04:00
TikTok has gone offline with the message ‘temporarily unavailable’
TikTok users are no longer able to use the platform after the app went dark on Saturday evening. Users saw the following message when trying to log on to the app about a day before a ban is set to go into effect.
In the message, TikTok leaders said they “are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution.”
Michelle Del Rey19 January 2025 03:43
In numbers: How TikTok became the world’s most controversial app
After amassing more than 170 million users in the country in less than seven years, TikTok is now facing an outright ban in the US.
Anthony Cuthbertson reports on how it became the most controversial app in the world.
Oliver O’Connell19 January 2025 03:00
When will the TikTok ban begin?
Massive social media app TikTok could be banned in the US unless its Chinese parent company sells it by Sunday. At the time of writing, the app remains active in the United States.
The proposed ban was enacted by Congress with bipartisan supportin April. Now, that law is being disputed in front of the Supreme Court. The ban gave Chinese-owned ByteDance until 19 January to sell TikTok. If it fails to do so, a nationwide ban is set to come into force – despite having 170 million US users.
Oliver O’Connell19 January 2025 02:00
TikTok alternative Lemon8 might be gaining popularity but may also face a ban
More and more TikTok users have turned to the company’s alternative social media app, Lemon8. This Instagram-meets-Pinterest lifestyle app is being promoted furiously by parent company ByteDance.
Oliver O’Connell19 January 2025 01:00
