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TikTok, which is operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance,
was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on Jan. 18 to
comply with a law that requires ByteDance to divest the app or
be banned in the U.S.
The popular social media app, which has over 170 million
American users, previously suspended its services in the U.S.
for a day before restoring service following assurances from
Trump that he would postpone banning the app. The TikTok service
suspension briefly prompted thousands of users to migrate to
RedNote, a Chinese social media app, while calling themselves
“TikTok refugees.”
The TikTok app became available to download again in the U.S.
Apple App store and Google Play store after nearly a month. On
Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order to
extend the enforcement of a ban on TikTok to April 5.
TikTok has long faced troubles in the U.S., with the U.S.
government claiming that its Chinese ownership and access to the
data of millions of Americans makes it a national security risk.
TikTok has denied allegations that it has shared U.S. user data
at the behest of the Chinese government, and argued that the law
requiring it to be divested or banned violates the First
Amendment rights of its American users.
During Trump’s first term in office, he supported banning TikTok
but later changed his mind, claiming that he had a “warm spot”
for the app. TikTok CEO Shou Chew was among the attendees at
Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
Trump has suggested that TikTok could be jointly owned, with
half of its ownership being American. Potential buyers include
real estate mogul Frank McCourt, Shark Tank investor Kevin
O’Leary and popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, also known as
MrBeast.
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