TikTok is not any extra — for now.

The social media utility is formally down, as of Saturday, Jan. 18, solely hours earlier than the regulation that bans TikTok from being distributed in america was set to enter impact.

Customers who open the TikTok app are greeted with a pop-up message that reads: “Sorry, TikTok is not accessible proper now.”

“A regulation banning TikTok has been enacted within the U.S. Sadly, which means you’ll be able to’t use TikTok for now,” the message continues.

The pop-up then references Donald Trump’s current feedback that he’ll “almost certainly” give TikTok an extension to have its father or mother firm, based mostly in China, promote the platform to a non-Chinese language-buyer when he takes workplace as President of america on Monday, Jan. 20. “We’re lucky that President Trump has indicated that he’ll work with us on an answer to reinstate TikTok as soon as he takes workplace. Please keep tuned!” the corporate concluded.

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Simply two days earlier than the deadline, on Friday, Jan. 17, the Supreme Courtroom dominated that the regulation forcing TikTok to stop U.S. operations if it did not divest from Chinese language possession is constitutional, affirming an appeals court docket’s earlier ruling that the sell-or-ban mandate did not violate the First Modification.

Attorneys for TikTok beforehand stated in court docket that the app will “go darkish” if the regulation went into impact, though they did not go into particular particulars about their plans, in need of saying that “basically, the platform shuts down.”

In a video assertion launched after the court docket’s determination got here out, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew did not immediately deal with the ruling, or the corporate’s plans, however as a substitute thanked President-elect Trump, 78, “for his dedication to work with us to discover a answer that retains TikTok accessible in america.”

That very same day, Trump shared a message on his Fact Social platform, writing that the court docket’s determination “was anticipated, and everybody should respect it.” 

“My determination on TikTok will probably be made within the not too distant future, however I will need to have time to overview the state of affairs,” he added. “Keep tuned!”

Though it stays unclear what actions Trump would possibly take, The Washington Put up beforehand reported that he was contemplating issuing an government order after taking workplace, which might droop enforcement of the ban for someplace between 60 to 90 days. The delay would give him time to assist dealer a sale — one thing TikTok and ByteDance haven’t been keen to do prior to now — or supply one other answer.

Trump then instructed NBC Information’ Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker in a telephone interview on Jan. 18 that he’ll quickly probably give TikTok a 90-day extension.

“I believe that might be, actually, an choice that we have a look at. The 90-day extension is one thing that will probably be almost certainly completed, as a result of it’s applicable. You recognize, it’s applicable. We now have to have a look at it rigorously. It’s a really massive state of affairs,” Trump stated, per NBC Information.

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In fact, with the ban deadline falling simply at some point earlier than Trump takes workplace, there have been lingering questions on what President Joe Biden’s administration will — or will not — do.

In response to the court docket’s determination, White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that “President Biden’s place on TikTok has been clear for months. … TikTok ought to stay accessible to People, however merely beneath American possession or different possession that addresses the nationwide safety considerations recognized by Congress in growing this regulation.”

Nonetheless, the press secretary added that given the “sheer truth of timing, this Administration acknowledges that actions to implement the regulation merely should fall to the following Administration, which takes workplace on Monday.”

The sell-or-ban laws, which overwhelmingly handed in Congress and was signed by Biden, 82, final yr, is designed to drive Chinese language house owners ByteDance to promote the favored app over fears China’s authorities might use its knowledge to control or hurt People (an argument TikTok has referred to as “outright censorship of the American individuals.)

Beneath the regulation, if TikTok is not bought by its proprietor — or “divested” after which purchased by a non-“overseas adversary ” — then it’ll develop into unlawful for web providers within the U.S. to help or distribute it and the regulation would drive the app to be faraway from app shops (like Apple or Google) and make it inaccessible by web browsers in America.

If TikTok or different web firms violated the regulation, they may additionally face large monetary penalties — though enforcement of the regulation is as much as the Justice Division. (Trump’s decide for lawyer basic, Pam Bondi, declined to say whether or not she would commit to imposing the regulation throughout her current affirmation listening to).

There was speak of banning TikTok within the U.S. because it surged in recognition in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Trump first introduced his plan to ban the platform from working within the U.S. throughout his first presidential time period in April 2020, an try that was later paused by Biden’s administration in February 2021, though he did go on to signal the ban-or-sell laws final April.

The ban comes amid rising safety considerations that China might use the app as a surveillance instrument on Americans and as a option to entry data or knowledge on them with out their information.

TikTok has denied that data on the app could be shared with the Chinese language authorities, and the Chinese language overseas ministry additionally argued that “the U.S. has by no means discovered any proof of TikTok posing a risk to the U.S.’s nationwide safety,” in keeping with Reuters. 

The Monetary Instances reported in March 2024 that TikTok, which was launched in 2016 and headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore (with places of work in such cities as New York, London, Dubai and Tokyo), generated $16 billion in gross sales within the U.S. the earlier yr.

As for what People consider theTikTok ban, a Pew Analysis ballot launched in December 2024 discovered that 32% of People supported banning TikTok, a major drop from the 50% who supported the ban in March 2023.