TikTok has resumed operations in the United States after a brief shutdown, following assurances from President-elect Donald Trump that he would delay the federal ban on the app.
The popular video-sharing platform had gone offline in the U.S. on 18 January 2025, complying with the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications (PAFACA) Act. The legislation required ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell its U.S. operations. The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold PAFACA resulted in the app’s removal from major app stores and left its 170 million U.S. users in limbo.
In response to the ban, Trump announced plans to issue an executive order on his first day in office to delay the enforcement for 90 days. This decision provides ByteDance with additional time to negotiate the sale of its U.S. operations to a non-Chinese entity. Following this announcement, TikTok restored access to its American users.
TikTok expressed its gratitude, stating, “We are working to restore access. Please stay tuned.”
While the platform is now functional, new downloads remain restricted on app stores. The future of TikTok in the U.S. depends on the divestiture process and the policies of the incoming administration regarding foreign-owned apps.
