TikTok said it was restoring access to the video app after President-elect Donald Trump vowed that companies that distribute and host the platform will not be held liable for violating a US ban that took effect on Sunday.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the company said Sunday afternoon. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not face any penalties for providing TikTok.”
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, said it would work with Trump “on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the US.”
The online version of TikTok appeared to be working in the US by Sunday afternoon, but the app stopped working hours later and did not appear in the Apple and Google app stores.
Apple told visitors to its app store that they could not download TikTok. It also told existing users that they would no longer be able to update the app. “Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions in which it operates,” the company said.
Apple and Google did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump said he would issue an order on Monday guaranteeing that the companies that enabled TikTok to remain on the service would not be held liable for violating a ban passed by Congress.
TikTok had suspended the service this weekend ahead of a Sunday deadline stemming from the law requiring ByteDance to sell the video app in order to avoid a ban on app stores allowing downloads.
As of midnight Saturday, companies such as Apple, Google and Oracle, which provide cloud services for TikTok, were banned from providing services to distribute or host the app and risked fines of $5,000 per user. Oracle did not respond to a request for comment.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay in the dark!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s bans go into effect so we can make a deal to protect our national security,” the president-elect said.
Mike Waltz, a Florida lawmaker who will become national security adviser when Trump is inaugurated on Monday, told CNN that the president-elect would consider allowing Chinese ownership to continue, but with “firewalls” to ensure for the app’s data to be “protected here on US soil.”
Trump said in his Social Truth post that he would like the US to “have a 50 percent ownership position in a joint venture.”
“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and let it say (as) up,” Trump said. “Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars—perhaps trillions.
“My initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners, with the U.S. taking a 50 percent ownership in a joint venture created between the U.S. and whichever acquisition we choose.”
US lawmakers and security officials believe the Chinese government could use TikTok to obtain Americans’ personal information, which could facilitate espionage. TikTok denies that China has any control over the app.
The Supreme Court upheld the ban on Friday. Trump said Saturday that he would “most likely” extend the deadline to sell TikTok, which has been downloaded by 170 million Americans, by 90 days.
But several Republican lawmakers, including Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, and Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts, said in a statement that there was “no legal basis for any kind of ‘expansion’.”
“Any company that hosts, distributes, serves or facilitates the communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars in damages under the law, not only from the DOJ (Department of Justice), but also under securities law, lawsuits of shareholders, and state AGs,” Cotton said in a post on X. “Think about it.”
A person involved in drafting the law said there was no provision for a postponement after the January 19 deadline had passed.
It allowed a 90-day extension if certain conditions were met — including evidence of “significant progress” toward a sale and “binding agreements” to enable execution — but only if before the deadline.
In his first term, Trump issued an order to stop TikTok from operating in the US, but it was blocked by the courts. He also tried to create an agreement that would ensure China would not have access to the data. Chinese law requires Chinese companies to hand over data when ordered by the government.
Trump last year voiced opposition to congressional takedown or ban legislation, saying it would help Facebook, which banned him from its platform for two years. Facebook competes with TikTok through its Instagram app.
On Friday, Trump held his first phone call with President Xi Jinping since leaving the White House in 2021. He said they discussed TikTok, although the Chinese reading of the call did not mention the app.
Vice President Han Zheng will also attend Monday’s inauguration in place of Xi, who was invited by Trump.
Asked why Trump was launching a “charm offensive” with China, Waltz told CBS that a relationship with the Chinese leader was necessary to address issues ranging from the flow of Chinese precursor chemicals used to make Fentanyl to tensions South China Sea.
“(Trump) believes he can enter into these deals with that kind of regime just by having a relationship,” he added.
Additional reporting by George Hammond
