TikTok 'in the process' of restoring U.S. service after shutdown over new law
App thanks Trump, who said he plans to sign an executive order on Monday to stay ban
TikTok says it's "in the process" of restoring service to users in the United States after the popular video-sharing platform went dark in response to a new law.
The company that runs TikTok said in a post on X on Sunday that tech companies that faced fines if they didn't remove TikTok's app from the digital stores and other service providers had agreed to help.
TikTok thanked president-elect Donald Trump, who on Sunday said he planned to sign an executive order after his inauguration on Monday to give TikTok's China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer before the popular video-sharing platform is subject to a permanent U.S.ban.
It was not immediately clear whether TikTok was working as it did before the company instituted a blackout late Saturday. Some users reported that the app was working, and TikTok's website appeared to be functioning for at least some users. However, the app remained unavailable for download on Apple's app store.
Google and Apple removed the app from their digital stores to comply with a federal law that required them to do so if TikTok parent company ByteDance didn't sell its U.S. operation by Sunday. The law, which passed with wide bipartisan support in April, allowed for steep fines for non-compliance.
TikTok said Trump's promise of an executive order had provided "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."