US users are met with a message in the app: “Tiktok is not available right now”.
“A law banning Tiktok has been passed in the United States,” the message continues, expectantly continuing:
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate Tiktok when he takes office,” the message continued.
The popular app is also no longer available for download.
Espionage charges
The US Supreme Court on Friday approved the proposal to ban Tiktok in the country due to security concerns about the platform’s ties to China. A deadline for Chinese Bytedance to sell the platform to a US owner expires on Sunday.
The background is that Tiktok is accused of giving China an opportunity to spy on the American users and collect information about them. The US also considers Tiktok to be a channel for spreading propaganda, which Bytedance has denied.
Tiktok already warned on Saturday that the app may be shut down in the United States if President Joe Biden does not clarify its future in the country.
Trump considers deadline
But outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration has announced that implementation of the law will be left to Donald Trump, given that he takes over as president on Monday.
Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Saturday that he is considering giving Tiktok a 90-day grace period that would allow them to continue operating. The President may grant such a grace period provided that a sale process is ongoing.
The AI company Perplexity AI is said to have contacted Bytedance on Saturday and through a bid proposed a merger with Tiktok’s American part, AP reports with reference to a source.
The new corporate structure would allow most of Bytedance’s current investors to retain their stakes, a source with knowledge of the matter said.