TikTok Restores Services In US With Trump's Support

(RTTNews) - Social media platform TikTok, which had decided to disable services in the United States following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to upheld a ban, began restoring its services on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump announced his support.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday had upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which was signed into law in April, 2024. The legislation mandates that ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, must divest its interest in the app by January 19, or face a nationwide ban.

Following the Court's decision, TikTok had announced that it would disable access to its immensely popular video app for over 170 million Americans on Sunday unless the U.S. administration urgently assures that it will not face enforcement actions when the ban takes effect.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration stated that it would leave the enforcement of the ban to Trump, who is set to take charge on Monday.

However, following the Court rule, Trump said he would revive the app's access in the U.S. when he returns to power.

In a Truth Social response, Trump said, "I'm asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order."

He also talked about his interest for the United States to have a 50 percent ownership position in a joint venture, so as to save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up. A joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets half of ownership.

"Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe trillions," Trump noted. Trump also talked about his plan on Tik Tok at a rally on Sunday, ahead of his inauguration, noting that the U.S. will seek to restore the short-video sharing app.

In a post on the X platform, TikTok said, "In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It's a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States."