Access to TikTok in USAwhich had been temporarily suspended, was restored this Sunday thanks to a series of actions led by the president-elect donald trump. The short video platform had ceased to be available to some users since the night of Saturday, January 18, after the entry into force of a law that prohibited its operation in the country due to security concerns. national security.
In a statement issued on Sunday, TikTok confirmed that it was working with its service providers to resume operations in the country. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers, assuring them that they will not face penalties for offering TikTok to more than 170 million Americans and enable more than 7 million small businesses to thrive,” the company said. In addition, they described the measure as “a firm support for the First Amendment and a rejection of arbitrary censorship.”
The platform also expressed its willingness to collaborate with trump in a long-term solution that guarantees its permanence in the US market. Upon opening the app this Sunday, users found a pop-up message that read: “Welcome back! Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of the efforts of the president trump, TikTok is back in USA”.
The conflict around TikTok It started last spring, when the United States Congress approved a bipartisan measure that gave the platform a period of 270 days to separate itself from its parent company, ByteDancebased in China. If you do not comply with this condition, you would face a total ban in the country. However, instead of proceeding with the sale of its operations, TikTok opted to file a legal challenge arguing that the measure violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
The case reached Supreme Courtwhich on Friday issued a unanimous ruling against the platform. According to the court, there were valid grounds for the concerns of national security related to the possible collection of user data or manipulation of content by the chinese government. This ruling left the platform in a vulnerable position, resulting in his temporary suspension on Saturday night.
During the hours when TikTok was down, users received a message in the app saying: “Sorry, TikTok is not available at this time. A law that prohibits TikTok has been enacted in the United States. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use TikTok for now.” However, the message also included a note of optimism: “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Stay tuned!”
On Sunday morning, trump used his social network Social Truth to urge companies not to allow TikTok remained inactive. “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok go dark,” he wrote. Additionally, he announced that on Monday, his first day in office, he would issue an executive order to extend the deadline before the law’s prohibitions take effect.
Trump also announced that his order would confirm that no company would face legal responsibilities for having kept TikTok operational before the issuance of his decree. Likewise, he proposed that USA obtain a 50% stake in a joint venture that could be formed between the current owners of TikTok and new investors.
The handling of the situation generated tensions between the outgoing administration of Joe Biden and the incoming donald trump. As stated ABC Newsa Biden administration official accused TikTok of trying to blame the outgoing government for the suspension of the service. “They have had a year to resolve this, and we made it clear that we would not implement the ban on our last day,” the official said.
For its part, the White House He had stressed in previous days that, if TikTok became unavailable on Sunday, it would not be due to an action by the US government, but rather due to a decision by the company itself. The Biden administration chose to leave implementation of the measure in Trump’s hands, arguing that the timing of the change in government made it more appropriate for the new president to make final decisions on the issue.
Although TikTok managed to resume its service in USAthe future of the platform in the country remains uncertain. The national security concerns that motivated the original law have not yet been resolved, and Trump’s proposal for a joint venture could face legal and regulatory challenges.
With more than 170 million users in the United States and a key role in the digital strategy of millions of small businesses, the outcome of this conflict will have significant implications for both the digital economy and relations between the United States and China.
