For the first time in internet history, the United States government has officially banned a major global social media platform, joining the ranks of authoritarian regimes like Russia and China. On Saturday, TikTok officially went dark. Users who attempt to access the app are now greeted with a message that says “TikTok isn’t available right now.”
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” the message adds. “Please stay tuned!”
It’s the final outcome of legislation Congress passed last year that requires TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app’s American operations or face a nationwide ban. But unlike countries that regularly engage in internet censorship, the US does not have centralized infrastructure to prevent Americans from accessing specific apps or websites.
Instead, the law puts pressure on Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, or risk accumulating millions of dollars in fines. Both companies appeared to have removed TikTok and other apps owned by its parent company ByteDance as of Saturday. Google and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The law also bans companies from providing data hosting services to TikTok. Oracle, which counts TikTok as one of its largest cloud computing customers, reportedly began telling staff to shut down servers that host US TikTok data on Saturday, according to The Information. Oracle did not immediately return a request for comment.
In May, TikTok and a group of US creators appealed to stop the law from going into effect, saying it violated the First Amendment. The Supreme Court rejected those arguments in a unanimous ruling on January 17, concluding that the provision was motivated by “well-supported national security concerns.”
“It’s a blatant violation of the First Amendment,” says Evelyn Douek, a professor at Stanford Law School who specializes in online speech issues. “Unfortunately for me, all nine of the Supreme Court justices disagree, and pretty much everyone that matters is going to listen to their opinion over mine. It’s hard to take the national security justification seriously, though, when in recent days presidents past and future as well as members of Congress seem to be backpedalling on whether an immediate shutdown is necessary after all.”
With days to go until the deadline, President Biden signaled that he’d leave enforcement up to the incoming Trump administration. The move left the app’s fate in limbo, and TikTok urged the Biden administration Saturday to provide definitive assurance that it wouldn’t enforce the law. In response, Biden’s team suggested TikTok raise its concerns with Trump.
On Blind, an anonymous messaging app popular with tech workers, some TikTok employees spiraled about whether they’d have jobs next month, while others went about business as usual. “Anyone else’s manager still scheduling meetings next week about new, upcoming projects without acknowledging the ban whatsoever?” wrote one user. “I have 2025 strategy meetings next week,” another user responded. “I am just doing what I’m told. It’s comforting in a way.”
