On January 19th, 2025, TikTok ‘went dark’ across the USA. The app was only ‘dark’ for a matter of hours, but this caused a stir across the globe. While this did not directly impact TikTok users in the UK, many will have seen and felt the impact of US users of the app in the US being unable to post and interact. The temporary ban on the app also has had ramifications for global politics. What happened to TikTok in the USA has been discussed across UK news outlets and on social media, but there is some confusion over why TikTok ‘went dark,’ what this means, and how it is up and running in the USA again.
What happened to TikTok?
On January 19th, TikTok ‘went dark’ for several hours in the US. This meant that any users of the app in the US could not access the app–opening the app simply displayed a message saying they could not use the app, but that it would hopefully be up and running again soon and was working with Donald Trump. TikTok was operational again within a matter of hours and is now still usable in the US.
Why was TikTok banned in the US?
Conversations concerning a potential TikTok ban in the US began during President Donald Trump’s first presidency in 2020. Trump began proposing bans against TikTok due to national security concerns, with it being a Chinese-owned and run company. Coincidentally, Trump’s proposed TikTok ban was set to come in not long after people used TikTok to troll Trump, campaigning people to sign up for seats at his rallies and not show up. Eventually, Trump ordered that ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, sell the US function of the app to an American company. This was dropped when Joe Biden became president.
However, another potential TikTok ban began stirring commotion in the US early in 2024, again due to national security concerns, with the app being run by a Chinese company. In February 2023, TikTok had to be removed from government-issued mobile devices for US government staff. By March 2024, a ‘ban-or-sell’ bill was passed and eventually signed into law by Biden. This meant that ByteDance had to either sell TikTok to an American company or face its ban in the US. Lawsuits and appeals to the Supreme Court from TikTok and ByteDance followed, but the bill was upheld, and TikTok subsequently ‘went dark’ in the US.
Why is TikTok back in the US?
Having begun discussions surrounding the TikTok ban, Trump changed his tune. After meeting with Jess Yass, a billionaire American investor in TikTok, Trump joined the app himself and reached 14.7 million followers. He then claimed to have come to understand the importance of the app for freedom of expression and urged the Supreme Court to pause the ban. Trump has also spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone, which he revealed on Truth Social, where he also confirmed that he would give TikTok more time. He has also suggested that an American company could take a 50% ownership stake rather than buying the app outright. Upon taking office on 20th January, Trump signed an executive order giving TikTok extra time to find an American buyer, bringing TikTok temporarily back to the US.
What happens now?
TikTok is temporarily available and running as usual in the US, but the proposed ban has not been entirely dropped. US users of the app will have to wait and see whether ByteDance decides to sell or a different deal is struck.