Ticked off and back on

In a dramatic turn of events, TikTok’s presence in the United States has been a rollercoaster of bans and reinstatements, showing how technology, security concerns, and politics are all intertwined.

On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld a federal law requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd., to sell its U.S. operations by January 19, 2025, citing longstanding concerns about data security and potential influence from the Chinese government.

In compliance with the ruling, TikTok suspended its services across the United States on January 18, 2025. Users were met with inaccessible content, and the app was removed from major app stores, marking a significant disruption for its 150-170 million American users.

Things changed on January 19, 2025, when President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to delay the ban. He suggested a joint venture giving the U.S. a 50% ownership of TikTok to address security issues while keeping the app available.

Following this announcement, TikTok began restoring its services, allowing users to once again access the platform. However, the app remained unavailable for new downloads in major app stores, indicating ongoing negotiations and unresolved issues. While TikTok’s services have resumed, its future in the U.S. remains uncertain. The proposed joint venture and ownership restructuring are subject to complex legal and political processes. Moreover, ByteDance’s refusal to sell its U.S. operations adds another layer of complexity to the situation.

As things develop, both users and decision-makers are waiting to see what will happen with TikTok’s future in the United States.