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TikTok ban suspended for 75 days, but Trump order may not be legal

TikTok ban suspended for 75 days, but Trump order may not be legal | The White House at night

The TikTok ban which came into effect on Sunday has been suspended for 75 days by an executive order signed by President Trump on his inauguration day. He has also said that US companies who provide services to TikTok during this time will not be prosecuted.

However, legal scholars note that Trump’s order does not appear to comply with the law, and say that companies who make TikTok available remain liable for hundreds of billions of dollars of fines, so Apple is unlikely to return the app to the App Store

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TikTok is back in the US, but it’s not on the App Store: Here’s what you need to know

It’s been a tumultuous several days for TikTok in the United States. The app went offline on Saturday night and was removed from the App Store by Apple. On Sunday afternoon, however, TikTok restored service in the United States thanks to “necessary clarity” provided by President Trump.

Despite TikTok being online once again in the United States, however, the app remains unavailable from the App Store. Here’s what you need to know about that ever-evolving situation.

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X and Bluesky launch dedicated video feeds on the back of TikTok uncertainty

X and Bluesky launch dedicated video feeds on the back of TikTok uncertainty | Screengrab of X video button

Social media apps X and Bluesky are both rolling out dedicated video feeds, in apparent attempts to take advantage of the continued uncertainty around TikTok.

With X, there’s a new play button icon launching a continuous video feed looking very similar to TikTok, while Bluesky offers custom feeds for video which you can choose to pin …

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The 850 billion reasons Apple and others aren’t taking a chance on TikTok

The 850 billion reasons Apple and others aren't taking chances on TikTok | App Not Available message in the App Store

This weekend was quite the roller-coaster ride for TikTok. While some headlines report that TikTok is back and imply that the matter is resolved, that’s not entirely the case.

The app was removed from Apple’s App Store, as well as the app stores run by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. None of those companies have restored it …

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TikTok is back online in the United States

tiktok back online

After being offline in the United States for 14 hours, TikTok now says it is in the process of restoring service. In a statement posted to social media, the company said:

In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.

It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.

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TikTok has officially shut down in the United States

In a new notification sent to users, TIkTok has confirmed it is shutting down in the United States. The company says it is “working to restore” its service in the U.S. “as soon as possible” with the help of incoming President Trump.

Apple has also removed TikTok from the App Store in the United States. Google has removed the app from the Play Store.

CapCut, the popular video editing app owned by ByteDance, is also now offline in the United States and has been removed from the App Store.

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TikTok ban set to go into effect on Sunday as Supreme Court upholds law

TikTok ban – Supreme Court asked for emergency injunction | App icon shown on iPhone

TikTok’s last-ditch effort to avoid its impending ban in the United States has failed. On Friday, the US Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law that forces ByteDance to sell TikTok or else face a ban in the United States.

Perhaps the largest unknown right now is how the impending transition from the Biden administration to the Trump administration will impact the ban.


Updated January 17, 2025 at 10:51 am ET with new statements from the Biden administration and Trump below.


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TikTok may shut down totally on Sunday unless the ban is delayed by new law [U]

TikTok may get a 270-day extension before a ban; denies Elon Musk report | Image shows the TikTok name with a prohibited symbol as the letter O

TikTok may shut down totally in the US on Sunday, with the app no longer opening at all, according to a new report. This would go well beyond the legal requirement of the ban, which would only prevent new downloads.

However, Congress may be about to throw the company a lifeline, through a proposed new law granting it another 270 days before the ban comes into effect

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Instagram and TikTok used to recruit money mules; risk prison and bank account ban

Instagram and TikTok used to recruit money mules | Rolls of $100 bills

A law enforcement agency has said that both Instagram and TikTok are increasingly being used to recruit money mules, who are either knowingly or unknowingly helping criminal gangs to launder money.

Those caught face prison sentences of up to 14 years, and are also likely to be banned from holding or opening a bank account …

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Social media ban for kids – other countries likely to follow

Social media ban for kids – other countries likely to follow | Teenage girl using a smartphone

Note: This report contains links to reports about teenage suicides

Australia has followed France in imposing a social media ban for kids, and other countries are expected to follow. The French government is now pushing for an EU-wide ban.

Social media platforms are of course pushing back as they face losing a demographic seen as key to their future, and questions are being raised about how the ban will be enforced …

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Australia banning social media use by kids; 9to5Mac readers want the same in the US [U]

Should we ban social media use by kids? | Close-up of a teen using a smartphone

Update: Australia has now voted to ban social media use by children under the age of 16. In a 9to5Mac reader poll on the issue, the vast majority of you thought the US should do the same – see the end of the piece.

The impact of social media use by kids is perhaps one of the hottest topics in tech. There’s significant evidence that social media apps like Instagram can be harmful to the mental health of children, while others argue that it can also enable social connection.

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