TikTok has gone dark for US users following a statement from the company calling out the “Biden White House” for not providing the necessary “clarity and assurance.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s threat to “go dark” on Sunday, January 19th, a “stunt,” and that there is no reason for TikTok to shut itself down before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on the 20th.
When users opened the TikTok app on Saturday, they encountered a pop-up message that said, “Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now.” View on euronews
In response to TikTok’s retaliation to the ban by going dark on Sunday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared a statement attempting to call their bluff: “It is a stunt, and we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday.
TikTok is pressuring President Joe Biden in his final days to decline to enforce the ban; the administration says the timing makes any decision Donald Trump’s responsibility.
Trump spoke to NBC News’ Kristen Welker in an exclusive phone interview Saturday, discussing his plans on what to do about the popular social media app.
President-elect Donald Trump told ABC News in an interview Saturday he is likely to grant TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid a ban in the United States.
The U.S. is inching closer and closer to a potential TikTok ban — with the nation’s highest court upholding a law that’s set to officially cut the cord and halt new downloads off the app starting Sund
TikTok said it will have to “go dark” this weekend unless the outgoing Biden administration assures the company it won’t enforce a shutdown of the popular app after the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law banning the app unless it’s sold by its China-based parent company.
"We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Saturday.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasised that the implementation of TikTok's status will fall to the incoming administration after a US Supreme Court ruling. President Biden supports American ownership of TikTok to address security concerns.
Millions of TikTok users in the United States are no longer able to watch videos on the social media platform as a federal ban on the immensely popular app takes effect. The company’s app was removed Saturday evening from prominent app stores,