TikTok restored or reactivated its service in the United States after an outage of approximately 13 hours. This was caused by the enactment of a new law that banned the app unless it separated from Chinese control. The law, which received bipartisan support and was upheld by the Supreme Court, required TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations by January 19, 2025, under the threat of significant fines for companies that continued offering the service.
Donald Trump’s Intervention
President-elect Donald Trump intervened in the situation by announcing he would issue an executive order to extend the deadline before the bans took effect. In his message on Truth Social, Trump urged tech companies not to allow TikTok to shut down and promised that his order would ensure there would be no penalties for those supporting the platform during this critical period.
Service Restoration
Thanks to this intervention, TikTok began restoring its service shortly after Trump’s announcement. The company thanked the president-elect for providing “the necessary clarity and assurance” to its service providers, allowing the platform to return for over 170 million U.S. users. However, the app was still not available for download in Apple and Google’s digital stores due to the existing law.
Context and Reactions
The situation has sparked diverse opinions. Some analysts consider the outage and subsequent reactivation a “brilliant marketing stunt” for both TikTok and Trump, highlighting the app’s popularity among users. Meanwhile, TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain, as negotiations over its ownership and operation in the country are expected to take place.
In summary, TikTok restored its service and resumed operations thanks to the intervention of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to work on a long-term solution to keep the platform in the United States while addressing national security concerns.
Image: Marca
