[Reuters] – Donald Trump, the incoming president of the United States of America, said he would revive TikTok access in the U.S. by executive order after he is sworn in on Monday.
But there is a price. Trump said he wants the popular social media app to be at least half owned by U.S. investors.
TikTok stopped working for its 170 million American users late on Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday.
U.S. officials had warned that under Chinese parent company ByteDance, there was a risk of Americans’ data being misused.
Trump said he would
“extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said the executive order would specify there would be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before his order.
Trump had earlier said he would most likely give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to users on the app.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. 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,” a message notified users of TikTok, which disappeared from Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab and Google app stores late on Saturday.
Even if temporary, the unprecedented shutdown of TikTok is set to have a wide-ranging impact on U.S.-China relations, U.S. politics, the social media marketplace and millions of Americans who depend on the app economically and culturally.
The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform. The law passed overwhelmingly by Congress gives the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.
Reuters reported that 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.
It was not clear if any U.S. users could still access the app, but it was no longer working for many users, and people seeking to access it through a web application were met with the same message that TikTok was no longer working.
[News Source: Reuters. Image Credit]
