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Clock runs out on TikTok: Platform goes dark in U.S. ahead of Sunday deadline

By Allen Cone
epa08581701 A TikTok app is seen on the tablet in Shanghai, China, 03 August 2020. According to media reports, Microsoft is in talks to buy the US operations of Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok which belongs to Chinese company Bytedance. This development comes as US President Donald Trump announced he wanted to ban Tiktok, the app particularly popular with young people and is said to count around one billion users worldwide, including around 100 million in the US....US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that US President Donald Trump will crack down Chinese software apps such is Bytedance?s TikTok in upcoming days. EPA-EFE/ALEX PLAVEVSKI
epa08581701 A TikTok app is seen on the tablet in Shanghai, China, 03 August 2020. According to media reports, Microsoft is in talks to buy the US operations of Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok which belongs to Chinese company Bytedance. This development comes as US President Donald Trump announced he wanted to ban Tiktok, the app particularly popular with young people and is said to count around one billion users worldwide, including around 100 million in the US....US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that US President Donald Trump will crack down Chinese software apps such is Bytedance?s TikTok in upcoming days. EPA-EFE/ALEX PLAVEVSKI

Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Time ran out to keep TikTok in business in the United States.

The highly popular video-sharing platform, owned by a Chinese-based company deemed a U.S. security threat, went dark around 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday ahead of the implementation Sunday of a federal law.

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The app was not found on Apple and Google's app stores.

Users from computers in the United States attempting to access the website were given this message:

TikTok had said it would shut down unless President Joe Biden intervenes before he leaves office one day later.

On Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News' Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker that he will "most likely" order a 90-day delay when he takes office Sunday.

The law allows the U.S. president to push back the ban but it requires "significant progress" of a sale to a non-Chinese buyer.

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Initially 170 million U.S. users and around 1 million creators have lost access for at least one day of the 23 million new videos uploaded daily. Those using the app spend about a hour an day looking at content with teens at 2-3 hours a day, according to Exploding Topics.

It is the fifth-most social network with 1.6 billion users in the world behind Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp, according to Statistica.

A federal law approved by wide margins in the House and Senate, and signed by Biden in April takes effect Sunday. The legislation gave TikTok's Chinese parent, ByteDance, 270 days to sell TikTok.

The company has said the platform is not for sale.

TikTok reacts after court decision

The social media platform made the announcement Friday night to go dark after the U.S. Supreme Court voted unanimously earlier in the day to leave in place a law that would ban TikTok from U.S. app stores unless the company divests from the platform and sells it to an American firm by Sunday.

TikTok faces fines for continuing to host TikTok after the deadline.

"The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million Americans," ByteDance said in a statement. "Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19."

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The company had argued that the app and those using the app in the United States are protected by the First Amendment. Lawmakers warned data could be collected and used by China.

Some justices wondered how effective a ban would be.

"A determined foreign adversary may just seek to replace one lost surveillance application with another," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in his opinion. "As time passes and threats evolve, less dramatic and more effective solutions may emerge. Even what might happen next to TikTok remains unclear."

Government stances

Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Lisa Monaco said in a release that the decision "enables the Justice Department to prevent the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to undermine America's national security."

Trump's nominee for attorney general Pam Bondi won't commit to enforcing the TikTok law at her confirmation hearing this week.

The White House doesn't want to intervene.

"The Administration, like the rest of the country, has awaited the decision just made by the U.S. Supreme Court on the TikTok matter," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. "President Biden's position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the President's desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law. Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday."

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Trump's evolving views

Trmp originally opposed TikTok in the United States but he has softened his tone on TikTok after starting efforts to ban it during his first administration.

Trump, who had urged the high court to delay the ban law, told NBC News: "I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it's appropriate. You know, it's appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It's a very big situation.

"If I decide to do that, I'll probably announce it on Monday."

On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social: "The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!.

Trump said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about TikTok and other issues.

"It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately," Trump said. "We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"

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Trump invited TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to his inauguration Monday, which he accepted. He met with Chew at Mar-a-Lago in December.

Chew thanked Trump on Friday for his efforts.

"We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a President who truly understands our platform - one who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating more than 60 billion views of his content," Chew said in a video statement. "More to come."

Sale possibility

ByteDance has publicly said the app is not for sale, including its algorithm. And China is likely to block the sale of the algorithm.

TikTok's U.S. assets, without the algorithm, are estimated at between $40 billion and $50 billion, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives to CNN.

The algorithm determines videos shown to each user on their "For You Page", which is based on their personal interests and engagement with the service.

Billionaire Frank McCourt, the former Los Angles Dodgers owner, said he has offered to buy the app with other investors, including Kevin O'Leary of Shark Tank.

"We are ready to work with the company and President Trump to complete a deal," McCourt said in a statement to Politico. "Together, we can transition TikTok to a clean tech stack and turn this national security problem into a big win for Americans."

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TikTok is big business for people

The Charles Agency estimates there are 1 million creators on TikTok and more than 100,000 influencers who use it as their primary job. Charli D'Amelio is the highest-earning TikToker at $23 million annually, according to TikTok.

The platform, which began in 2016 as as Douyin, had net advertising revenue of $18.49 billion in 2024, according to the agency.

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