Screenshot from the notification of TikTok app

TikTok on Saturday night (US local time) pushed an important update to US users saying that “We regret that a US law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. We're working to restore our service in the US as soon as possible,MK sport and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned.”

On Friday, the US Supreme Court upheld the law forcing ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to sell the app to an American company or face a nationwide ban starting on Sunday.

In the wake of the ruling, TikTok said in a statement that unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19.

“The statements issued by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” TikTok said. 

US President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in a phone interview on Saturday that he will “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a potential ban in the US after he takes office Monday.

In direct reaction to the US Supreme Court's decision, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said on Friday that "we will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives" for the years to come. Chew noted in a video that the company and its users “have been fighting to protect the constitutional right to free speech for the more than 170 million Americans” who use the popular platform every day, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Global Times