TikTok has been officially banned in the U.S., rendering the app inaccessible to American users. Attempts to access TikTok now result in a message stating, "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for 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. Please stay tuned! In the meantime, you can still download your data."
Despite a final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the ban was upheld. While the court acknowledged TikTok's popularity and role as a platform for expression and community engagement for over 170 million Americans, they affirmed Congress's decision, citing national security concerns regarding data collection practices and TikTok's relationship with a foreign adversary. The Supreme Court statement concluded that the ban did not violate petitioners' First Amendment rights.
TikTok expresses hope for reinstatement under a future Donald Trump presidency, with Trump hinting at a potential 90-day delay of the ban in an interview on January 18th. This delay would allow time for a U.S. or allied company to acquire the app, a transaction that hasn't yet materialized. Consequently, other apps linked to TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, including CapCut, Lemon8, and even Marvel Snap, have also been affected.
