TikTok has gone offline in the US, hours before a new law banning the platform was due to come into effect.
A message appearing on the app for US users said a law banning TikTok had been enacted, meaning “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,” it read.
It follows the social networking site’s warning that it would “go dark” on Sunday unless the departing Biden administration promised that the ban would not be implemented.
When he takes office on Monday, President-elect Donald Trump has stated that he would “most likely” grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a ban.
According to users, the software has also been removed from both Apple and Google’s US app stores and TikTok.com was not showing videos.
“The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate,” Trump told NBC News on Saturday.
“If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
The White House said that it was up to the incoming administration to take action.
“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,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Could TikTok ever be banned in the UK too?
The rule, which was imposed in April of last year, prohibiting the app from being used in the United States unless its parent company, ByteDance, based in China, sold the platform by Sunday—something it hasn’t done—was upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday.
TikTok has claimed that the law infringes upon the rights of its 170 million members to free speech.
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Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, made a plea to Trump following the decision, expressing gratitude for his “commitment to work with us to find a solution.”
On Monday, Mr. Chew is anticipated to be present at Trump’s inauguration.
Content producers have started submitting farewell videos to their followers in the hours before the social media site went down.
According to creator Nicole Bloomgarden, not using TikTok would result in a large pay reduction, she told the BBC.
Erika Thompson, another user, stated that the “biggest loss” for the community will be the platform’s instructional content.
Earlier on Saturday, TikTok users received a notification stating that the law would “force us to make our services temporarily unavailable.” Our goal is to quickly restore service in the United States.
