TikTok is no longer accessible in US. It was banned as a result of a federal law. Users started receiving messages about this ban on this Saturday. Now, the app has been delisted from Apple and Google Play app stores.

“Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” the company’s message reads. “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

However, the message also states that TikTok will be working with President Trump once he takes the office. There are some chances that TikTok will come back but that’s just pure speculation.

President Trump’s inauguration will be on 20 Jan, 2025 and he has said that he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a potential ban on taking office. But in these 90 days TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has to sell TikTok to a US company.

TikTok's legal troubles

This ban on TikTok was not surprising considering its long legal battle with the US government. The main claim by the US government is that ByteDance, the parent company, has some connection to the Chinese government. They raise the claim of TikTok as a thread of national security and state funded spying agenda. Currently, Zhang Yiming - the founder of ByteDance owns 50% stake.

While ByteDance may or may not want to sell TikTok to a US company, the Chinese government would most certainly won’t allow this. This is a major problem for TikTok as they might not have any way to prevent the ban and may be forced to cease operations in the US.

When India banned TikTok

Indian government banned TikTok on June 29, 2020 - which is around 4 and a half years back!

Indian government also banned 58 other Chinese owned apps. They mainly cited security concerns for this ban. It was a massive setback for TikTok as India was it's largest market at that time with over 200 million active users. The Ministry of Information Technology issued a statement saying, "...in view of the emergent nature of threats has decided to block 59 apps ( see Appendix) since in view of information available, they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order.”

There are several other countries where TikTok is banned including Taiwan, Senegal, Nepal, Somalia, Indonesia and now the US.

TikTok has been a major player in the social media space and has been a major source of entertainment for millions of users. It has also been a major source of income for many creators. The ban on TikTok in the US will have a major impact on the social media landscape and the creators who rely on it for their income.