TikTok restores US service, thanking Trump

TikTok restored service in the United States Sunday after briefly going dark, as a law banning the wildly popular app on national security grounds came into effect.

The video-sharing platform credited President-elect Donald Trump, who retakes power on Monday, for making the reversal possible -- though the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden had earlier said that it would not enforce any ban.

TikTok had shut down in the United States late Saturday as a deadline loomed for its Chinese owners ByteDance to sell its U.S. subsidiary to non-Chinese buyers.

Earlier Sunday, as millions of dismayed users found themselves barred from the app, Trump promised to issue an executive order delaying the ban to allow time to "make a deal."

He also called in a post on his Truth Social platform for the United States to take part ownership in TikTok.

Trump said he "would like the United States to have a 50 percent ownership position in a joint venture," arguing that the app's value could surge to "hundreds of billions of dollars -- maybe trillions."

"By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands," wrote Trump, who had previously backed a TikTok ban and during his first term in office made moves towards one.

In a statement posted on X following Trump's comments, TikTok said it "is in the process of restoring service."

"We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans."

Beijing on Monday urged Washington to listen to "rational voices" over the ban.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning also said China attached "great importance to and protect data privacy and security."

"We have never and will not ask companies or individuals to collect or provide foreign data located in foreign countries in a way that violates local laws," she said.

TikTok, which was back online in the United States by Sunday afternoon, did not address Trump's call for part American ownership of the app.

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives told AFP the episode "marked a big win for TikTok and a political win for Trump," likening the episode to "high-stakes poker between the U.S. and China."

AFP