Over 170 million Americans use TikTok, but the popular video app faced a serious challenge when a U.S. law threatened to ban it.
President Joe Biden signed legislation that would stop TikTok from operating in the U.S. unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sold its American operations. This law raised concerns about privacy and national security, as some believed TikTok could collect user data or spread propaganda on behalf of the Chinese government.
The law had widespread support and forced Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their app stores.
TikTok briefly became unavailable to millions of users. This occurred during a tense time, on the 19th of January, with worries about the app’s influence, especially in an election year. However, the company argued the ban was unfair and launched efforts to highlight TikTok’s positive effects on creators and businesses.
The situation shifted after former President Donald Trump announced plans to issue an executive order giving ByteDance more time to sell TikTok to a U.S. approved buyer. Trump’s announcement, posted on Truth Social, reassured service providers that they could continue supporting TikTok without legal penalties. Following this, TikTok began restoring service, and some users regained access to the app.
While TikTok’s website and platform became functional again for some, the app remained unavailable for download in app stores. The company has continued negotiating with U.S. authorities to resolve the dispute.
