The short video service TikTok has ceased operations in the United States. This comes after months of legal proceedings and attempts by the U.S. government to compel the platform’s owner, the Chinese company ByteDance, to sell its business under the pretext of safeguarding national security. The service was discontinued just before the deadline set by the U.S. Supreme Court, which expires today, January 19.
According to reports, TikTok stopped functioning on the evening of January 18, as indicated by numerous comments from users on other social media platforms such as X. When attempting to launch the TikTok app in the U.S., users are met with a message stating that the service has been discontinued, aligning with a prior issued directive.
“The U.S. has passed a law banning TikTok. Unfortunately, this means that for now, you won’t be able to use TikTok. We are fortunate that President Trump has made it clear he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned for updates,” TikTok stated in the notice.
Users have pointed out that prior to the shutdown, the service did not offer the option to save previously downloaded videos. Meanwhile, some content creators mentioned they managed to save their videos when the app began malfunctioning, just before it eventually stopped opening altogether.
