TikTok is still available in the U.S. after incoming President Donald Trump announced he will delay banning the popular social media app.
TikTok, which specializes in short form videos, shutdown briefly for about 12 hours over the weekend as a nationwide ban came into effect in America on Jan. 19.
However, the company said it is now “in the process of restoring service.”
Trump promised that he will issue an executive order today (Jan. 20), the day of his inauguration, that extends the time before the ban goes into effect.
The president-elect also suggested the U.S. should have ownership of the app and that he’s asking companies to not block TikTok from operating in America.
Last Friday (Jan. 17), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law requiring that China-based ByteDance divest its ownership of TikTok by Jan. 19 or face an effective ban of the popular social media app in America.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court sided with the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, enforcing the ban on TikTok, which has been accused of being used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans.
Under terms of the ban, third-party internet service providers such as Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet (GOOGL) would be penalized for making the TikTok app available after Jan 19.
Trump had initially favored a ban of TikTok but now appears to have changed his mind.
In December, Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause the ban’s implementation and allow his administration “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution.”
