TikTok says it’s shutting down in the US after failing to avoid a ban

TikTok is officially dark in the US now that a federal ban on the app is set to go into effect on January 19. Around 6 PM Pacific Time, the app began notifying people in the United States, including virgin staffers, with a message that said the ban “will make our services temporarily unavailable”. The message goes on to say, “We are working to restore our service in the United States as quickly as possible,” an outcome that will require action by the incoming Trump administration in one way or another.

The company warned on Friday which would be forced to disappear if the Biden administration did not promise to delay the application of the law’s penalties to TikTok service providers, such as Apple and Google, which can be fined thousands of dollars for users Americans once the ban goes into effect. In response, the Biden administration said it had already passed on enforcement responsibilities to the Trump administration and called the threat of TikTok to go offline a “stunt”.

Trump – who himself started the TikTok ban debate during his first term – has indicated that he plans to extend the deadline for the ban by 90 days via an executive order once he is sworn in on January 20 , although it is not clear if he means it. He will use the provision in the law that allows a delay if a sale is pending, or if he still has that option once the ban goes into effect. TikTok users are decidedly angryof course – although none of them seem to be pressuring the company to sell as much as they are pressuring politicians of both parties to overturn the ban.