TikTok ban goes into effect for 170 million users across US

TikTok shut down access to its app and website for its 170 million U.S. users shortly before a nationwide ban on the platform went into effect at midnight on Sunday, Jan. 19. Users attempting to access the website and app cannot navigate further than a pop-up notice saying that TikTok is not available right now, with an explanation of the ban.

Despite President Joe Biden signaling that he would not enforce the ban, and would instead leave the decision to President-elect Donald Trump, the Chinese-owned platform shut itself down to avoid the risk of potentially heavy fines for hosting access to the platform in the U.S.

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The app’s notice directly credits President-elect Trump, saying “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.”

TikTok going dark for its American users is the culmination of a years-long bipartisan push to ban the app. During Trump’s first term in 2020, he threatened to ban the app for its ties to the Chinese government. 

In 2024, Biden signed the law that put the current ban in place, which gave the app’s owners until Sunday to either shut down or sell to a buyer not defined as a “foreign adversary of the United States.”

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., introduced the original bill and it passed with veto-proof majorities and support from both Democrats and Republicans.

But as the ban neared, multiple lawmakers changed their stances. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who initially voted for the ban, joined Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., in their push for a last-ditch bill to rescind the ban.

Despite Trump saying it is likely he will work to develop a solution that will restore Americans’ access to the app, Republican Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., blocked the bill from advancing by objecting to it.

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The Supreme Court unanimously rejected TikTok’s challenge to the ban, saying that the national security concerns underpinning the law took priority over its role as a speech platform. The court ruled that the ban did not infringe on the First Amendment rights of the company or its users.

Trump has signaled that tech issues, including the future of TikTok, are top priorities for his incoming administration. Executives from the largest apps and tech companies will be present for his inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20, including TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.

(Disclosure: Sen. Pete Ricketts is the son of Joe Ricketts, CEO and Founder of Straight Arrow News.)