By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok said on Sunday it was restoring its service after President-elect Donald Trump said he would restore access to the app in the United States when he returns to office on Monday.
The statement comes after U.S. users reported being able to access the Chinese service’s website, while the much more widely used TikTok app did not appear to be immediately available.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is restoring service,” TikTok said in a statement thanking Trump for “providing necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will not suffer any harm.” penalty (for) providing TikTok to more than 170 million Americans and enabling more than 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
TikTok stopped working for its 170 million U.S. users on Saturday evening before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. U.S. officials had warned that under Chinese parent company ByteDance, there was a risk of misuse of Americans’ data.
Trump said he would “extend the deadline before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so we can reach a deal to protect our national security.”
“I would like the United States to have a 50% stake in a joint venture,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said the executive order would make clear that there would be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from falling into obscurity before his order.
Trump had earlier said he would most likely grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve after taking office, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to the app’s users.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the United States. Unfortunately, this means you cannot use TikTok at this time. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok a once he takes office. “stay tuned,” a message warned users of TikTok, which disappeared from the Apple (NASDAQ:) and Google (NASDAQ:) app stores on Saturday evening.
Even if temporary, TikTok’s unprecedented shutdown is expected to have a significant impact on U.S.-China relations, U.S. politics, the social media marketplace, and the millions of Americans who rely on it. application economically and culturally.
