Update: TikTok appears to be working again for many US users. The latest message said, “Welcome back!” and described their withdrawal as “the result of President Trump’s efforts.”
The basic story is as follows.
American users woke up this morning to find that their TikTok account was no longer working. The reason for this is a new American law which bans social media platforms in the country.
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance was given time till January 19 to sell the company, but it did not do so. In a rare display of bipartisanship, both Republicans and Democrats voted in favor of the bill, citing their concerns over national security due to ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government.
Currently, Americans cannot download TikTok on Apple or Google’s Play Store, as the law would result in the companies paying $5,000 per user. Given that there are 170 million US users, do the math.
President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he would give ByteDance a 90-day extension to sell the company should it be “appropriate.” Users who open TikTok will be greeted by a message that includes the statement, “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office.”
Naturally, this change impacts ScreenHub Entertainment, because beyond the blog and podcast, we also have a unique presence on TikTok that provides users with other content outside of those two mediums. But if you follow us there, you can also visit some of our other social media platforms, including:
blue sky, youtube, Facebook, InstagramAnd bell pendantWe’ll update you on any changes to our output as well as the general news story.