TikTok is toast in the U.S. … at least for now.
The social media giant, best known for its users sharing real-life videos, went dark for 170 million Americans late Saturday night.
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As this was going down, the China-based company issued two statements with the first informing everyone that it would shut down Sunday — but soon after a second message was released, saying that a U.S. law banning TikTok had unfortunately taken effect.
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The company added that it felt fortunate President Donald Trump indicated he would work with TikTok to reinstate the service once he takes office.
On Saturday, Trump phoned “Meet The Press” host Kristen Welker, telling her that he would most likely give TikTok a 90-day grace period as he assesses the situation after his inauguration Monday.
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What’s more, TikTok’s app was wiped from major app stores — such as Apple and Google — just before the federal law was implemented Saturday.
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The law forbids app stores to offer TikTok and requires the platform’s owner — ByteDance — to sell it or watch it get banned. ByteDance obviously chose the second option.
As you know … For years, Congress has been warning about the pitfalls of TikTok, calling it a national security threat because of its ties to China, which can potentially access American users’ personal information.