TECH NEWS – Chinese company ByteDance’s social platform was not banned for a single day in the United States, as TikTok is now available again.
The TikTok saga may be coming to an end, as yesterday we reported that the platform was now available to around 170 million users in the US, and the community was upset. Many have started petitions to get the platform back online in the country, and there have been desperate users calling 911. TikTok had already hinted in the ban message that they were counting on the help of Donald Trump (the US president, who will be inaugurated today) to work with them to restore the service.
On Sunday, the tables turned, as TikTok became available to some people shortly after Trump announced that he would sign an executive order on Monday, after his inauguration, to delay the federal ban. Then, ByteDance’s platform took to Twitter to announce the developments following the US blackout of the service: “In coordination with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not be penalized for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and enabling over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
STATEMENT FROM TIKTOK:
In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170…
— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) January 19, 2025
TikTok even stated that it is committed to upholding free speech and emphasized that this means taking a strong stand for the First Amendment, which is essentially about protecting free speech. TikTok shared its goal with President Trump to work on long-term solutions, and expressed its intention to keep the platform available to U.S. users. While TikTok appears to be working vigorously to restore services following Trump’s assurance, the platform’s future under current law remains up in the air.
So the clock is still ticking, but knowing Trump, he’s bound to reverse the federal ban somehow…
Source: WCCFTech, Truth Social
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