‘The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order,’ Trump said.
President-elect Donald Trump said on Jan. 19 that he is asking tech companies to keep social media platform TikTok online and would sign an executive order postponing the federal ban of the social media website in the United States.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
Trump’s announcement was made as millions of U.S. users found they could no longer access the TikTok app or platform.
The platform became unavailable in the United States on Saturday night before a federal ban on the Chinese-owned short-video app took effect. The law requires TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell its U.S. operation to an approved buyer by Jan. 19 or face a ban.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the United States,” a message on the app states.
“Unfortunately, that means 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. Please stay tuned.”
Both Google and Apple removed the app from their digital marketplaces to comply with the federal law.
Trump also confirmed that there would be no liability for any companies that helped keep TikTok online before he issued his executive order.
“Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” Trump said.
This is a developing story.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.