TikTok Is Back Online in the US After 13-Hour Outage

Americans should celebrate because TikTok, their favorite app, is now back online. On Sunday, 170 million Americans were informed that TikTok was banned, and when they opened the app, a pop-up message stating that the law had been implemented was displayed.

The app said it was working to restore services after 13 hours and thanked President Trump for providing “the necessary clarity and assurance” that the company would not be penalized if it carried on with its business.

When he issued an executive order in August 2020, during his first term, President Donald Trump originally suggested banning TikTok, citing the app’s terms of service that permit data sharing with its parent firm, ByteDance, which is partially owned by the Chinese government.

While it seems odd that the person who attempted to ban the app is now praised for permitting it, the US government is still pressing ByteDance to either split its US operations or stop collecting significant sensitive data on Americans. Donald Trump announced on social media that he plans to reinstate TikTok and plans to sign an executive order today to delay the law’s implementation. He also said that companies that help run TikTok’s operation after the deadline will not be subject to legal repercussions.

ByteDance has stated repeatedly that disconnecting the app would be “extremely challenging.” Regardless of the bipartisan legislation or the unpredictable decisions of the new president, analysts predict that this process could take several years. TikTok remains available globally in its usual markets, with the exception of countries where it is banned or no longer available, such as India, Iran, Russia, and China, which uses a similar app called Douyin.

U.S. House Passes Bill Requiring TikTok to Divest from China or Face Ban (FULL VIDEO)