Hours before a new federal law banning TikTok in the United States took effect, the social media app showed users a pop-up message saying it would be “temporarily unavailable” starting Sunday.
“We regret that the US law banning TikTok will go into effect on January 19,” the letter said. “We are working to restore our service in the US as soon as possible.”
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance and is under scrutiny over national security concerns, appears to be preparing its users for how their internet connection will go down. As of midnight, it was unclear whether the app would still be available in US app stores or how well it would perform.
The law includes a provision that penalizes app store operators like Apple and Google, and internet hosting companies like Oracle for distributing or maintaining the TikTok app. Under the law, these companies face penalties of up to $5,000 for each user who accesses the app.
TikTok’s message to US users follows a Supreme Court decision on Friday that upheld the law, which calls for ByteDance to sell the app by Sunday or face a ban. The law passed overwhelmingly in Congress last year and was signed by President Biden. TikTok was expecting to win its legal challenge before the law, but it failed.
TikTok made last-minute calls to both the Biden administration and President-elect Donald J. Trump to break the law. No one – including the US government – was quite sure what would happen to it when the law went into effect. The United States has never banned an app used by tens of millions of Americans overnight.
For TikTok and ByteDance, the developments represent a major blow. TikTok has nearly 170 million users in the United States, and they are some of the app’s most lucrative customers. In legal filings, TikTok said that even a temporary disappearance could disrupt it, as users and creators leave for other platforms and never return even if the ban is lifted.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the law’s start date falls in the final days of Mr. Biden’s presidency. A White House spokeswoman indicated on Saturday that the Biden administration would not begin imposing fines on businesses on Sunday.
“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. We have made our position clear and straightforward: the necessary measures to implement this law will fall on the next administration.”
Mr. Trump said on Saturday that he would “probably” find a way to give TikTok a 90-day extension once he takes office on Monday. The law gives the president the ability to extend the sale deadline only if there is “significant progress” toward a deal that would put TikTok in the hands of a non-Chinese owner. It was not clear how this extension would work if the ban had already taken effect.
On Saturday, the mood on TikTok was somber. Alex Earl, a content creator with 7.2 million followers He rose to fame on the app in 2022She posted sad videos of mourning on the platform.
“I feel like I’m going through a lot of grief,” Ms. Earle wrote. One video. “This platform is more than just an app or a job to me. I have so many memories here. I have posted every day for the past six years of my life. I have shared my friends, family, relationships, personal struggles, and secrets.
Ms Earl added that she was “in denial” about the ban.