In less than a day following TikTok’s service interruption in the United States, the video-sharing platform is set to come back to life.
The company announced its plan to revisit operations after negotiating agreements with service providers. In a public statement, it appreciated President Trump for his role in providing clarity that reassured service providers about not facing penalties in the future. This made possible continued access to TikTok for 170 million American users, while also supporting the growth of 7 million small businesses.
The U.S. was on the brink of enforcing a law scheduled for today which bound TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app or face a ban. The law also prohibited any U.S. companies from assisting TikTok with its distribution, maintenance, or updates.
Amid the transition between President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, the latter’s administration and Department of Justice had decided to allow the Trump administration to implement the aforementioned law. However, TikTok argued that its vital service providers required a “definite statement,” or else the application would become non-functional. As prophesied, TikTok stopped operations yesterday and was missing from both Apple’s app store and Google Play.
Earlier today, President-elect Donald Trump promoted an executive order delaying the ban and expressed his desire for speedy restoration of TikTok considering it as a medium for Americans to witness the upcoming inauguration ceremony.
TikTok and its service providers seemed reassured after Trump’s announcement. Though some TechCrunch writers reported app functionality, it hasn’t made its re-appearance in app stores yet.
However, not all officials are in agreement with this development. Senator Tom Cotton expressed concerns about hefty liabilities that any company supporting TikTok might face, indicating it as a platform controlled by communists.
The initial solution proposed by Trump for TikTok operating in the U.S. revolves around a joint business agreement with the current or new owners, giving the U.S a 50% ownership stake.
Concluding the statement, TikTok conveyed its commitment to working with President Trump for a sustainable solution to keep the app running in the U.S.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
