TikTok Is Unavailable in the US—and Gone From the App Stores

For the first time in Internet history, the United States government has officially banned a major global social media platform, joining the ranks of authoritarian regimes like Russia and China. On Saturday, TikTok officially went dark. Users who try to access the app are now greeted with a message that says “TikTok is currently unavailable.”

“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” the message added. “Please stay with me!”

It is the final result of Congressional legislation Passed last year That would require TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app’s American operations or face a nationwide ban. But unlike countries that regularly engage in internet censorship, the United States does not have a centralized infrastructure to prevent Americans from accessing certain apps or websites.

Instead, the law forces Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, or risk racking up millions of dollars in fines. Both companies appear to have removed TikTok and other apps owned by its parent company ByteDance as of Saturday. Google and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The law also prohibits companies from providing data hosting services to TikTok. Oracle, which counts TikTok as one of its largest cloud computing customers, reported started telling the staff According to the report, the servers hosting the US TikTok data were shut down on Saturday. Oracle did not immediately return a request for comment.

In May, TikTok and a group of US creators petitioned to block the law from going into effect, saying it violated the First Amendment. Supreme Court rejected These are the arguments in the January 17 unanimous ruling, concluding that the provision was motivated by “well-supported national security concerns.”

“This is a clear violation of the First Amendment,” said a Stanford Law School professor who specializes in online speech issues. “Unfortunately for me, all nine Supreme Court justices disagree, and everyone will hear their opinion on me. The national security justification is hard to take seriously, though, as presidents past and future, as well as members of Congress, seem to be vacillating in recent days over whether an immediate shutdown is necessary.”

With days to go until the deadline, President Biden indicated he would leave enforcement up to the incoming Trump administration. The move left the app’s fortunes in limbo, and TikTok on Saturday urged the Biden administration to provide firm assurances that it would not enforce the law. In response, Biden’s team advised TikTok to raise its concerns with Trump.

On Blind, an anonymous messaging app popular with tech workers, some TikTok employees wondered if they would have a job next month, while others went about business as usual. “Anyone else’s manager is still scheduling meetings for next week about new, upcoming projects without acknowledging the ban?” Written by a user. “I have a 2025 strategy meeting next week,” another user responded. “I’m doing what I’m told. It’s kind of comforting.”