TikTok Restores Service After US Ban Temporarily Paused
The statement came after US users reported being able to access the Chinese-owned service’s website while the far more widely used TikTok app itself did not appear to be immediately available.In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” TikTok said in a statement that thanked Trump for “providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties (for) providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
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US ban: TikTok resumes operations in the US after Trump grants a reprieve, ensuring no penalties for service providers while negotiations.
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. US 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,” 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.
In Europe, TikTok’s suspension drew praise from Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, who said on X: “Banning TikTok must be considered in Europe as well.”
The ban became a talking point at the Australian Open, where American tennis player Coco Gauff wrote “RIP TikTok USA” on a courtside camera.
“I love TikTok, it’s like an escape… hopefully, it comes back,” the world number three told reporters.
Offers for TikTok
On Saturday, Perplexity AI, a highly valued start-up, proposed a merger with TikTok’s US subsidiary, a source familiar with the deal told AFP. The proposal did not specify a price, but the source estimated it would cost at least $50 billion.
Frank McCourt, the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has also submitted an offer to purchase TikTok’s US operations.
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