On January 18, TikTok was temporarily banned in the United States. The app, known for its short-form videos, has gained massive popularity due to its algorithm, which tailors video recommendations based on user preferences and viewing history.
When users attempted to open the app after the ban, they were presented with a message: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, has more than 150 million users in the U.S. ByteDance, founded by Chinese entrepreneur Zhang Yiming in 2012, is valued at approximately $220 billion—down from $400 billion in 2021, according to AP News.
The controversy surrounding TikTok centers on national security concerns. The FBI has warned that ByteDance may share user data with the Chinese government, raising alarms within the U.S. government.
This isn’t the first time TikTok has faced legal challenges. In 2020, President Trump issued an executive order banning all transactions with ByteDance. Courts initially blocked the order, but last year, Congress passed a law citing national security concerns, mandating a TikTok ban unless ByteDance sold the app to an approved buyer.
Despite his previous stance on the app, President Trump signed an executive order on Monday, January 19, to delay the ban on TikTok for 75 days,
After only fifteen hours, TikTok was back online in the U.S., following Trump’s promise to suspend the ban. A message on TikTok stated, “As a result of President Trump’s effort, TikTok is back!”
Senior Abby Schrader shared, “Those 15 hours without TikTok were brutal. I was trying to post a video and suddenly it crashed.”
The quick return of TikTok has sparked further controversy, particularly surrounding the political actions behind it. Senior Jaimie Lee said, “I thought the banning of the app and then Trump bringing it back less than a day later felt like crazy propaganda – especially since Trump wasn’t even in office yet. It seems that Trump is using this to gain approval from the public when he’s the reason it got banned in the first place. I have also noticed a difference in the algorithm and restricting certain news, including anything that is against President Trump.”
