U.S. Federal and State Bans on TikTok

2012 - ByteDance Is Founded

Zhang Yiming, a former Microsoft and Kuxan (a Chinese flight and hotel search engine) employee, founds ByteDance. According to historian James Hardy, Zhang’s idea was “to harness the power of artificial intelligence to revolutionize the way internet users engage with content. This vision was deeply rooted in the belief that personalized content was key.” [66]

July 2014 - Early Version of musical.ly Launches on iTunes

Alex Zhu and Luyu Yang, both Shanghai based, launched the first iteration of musical.ly on the iTunes app store. Zhu said the idea for the hybrid music-video app was born while riding the train and seeing teenagers taking selfies while listening to music. The app was marketed as a “teen karaoke” experience.[63]

April 2015 through March 2016 - muscial.ly Takes Off

In July 2015, after muscial.ly instituted a leader board of the most popular videos and allowed users to follow, favorite other user’s posts, and “duet” with other users virtually, the app’s popularity took off and landed in the top spot on iTunes downloads. By March 2016, the app had 60 million active users and had acquired $100 million in venture capital, making the company worth $500 million. [63]

September 2016 - ByteDance Launches Douyin

Douyin is frequently called the “Chinese TikTok,” though the app pre-dates TikTok by a year and remains entirely separate from TikTok. Douyin means “shaking sound” in Chinese and refers to the app’s music and sound-focused content. The app, which remains only available in China, found early success by simplifying the social media experience, localizing content to specific Chinese cultural audiences, using artificial intelligence (AI) to tailor the algorithm, and launching at a moment when China was experiencing a swell in mobile internet use. Douyin is frequently used to test features before they go live internationally. [66][67]

June 2017 - China’s National Intelligence Law Goes into Effect

Perhaps the cornerstone of global security concern surrounding TikTok is the 2017 National Intelligence Law. The oft-cited portions of the law (as revised in 2018) state:

Article 7: All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with law, and shall protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of. The State is to protect individuals and organizations that support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts.

Article 12: In accordance with relevant State provisions, national intelligence work institutions may establish cooperative relationships with relevant individuals and organizations, and retain them to carry out related work.

Article 14: National intelligence work institutions lawfully carrying out intelligence efforts may request that relevant organs, organizations, and citizens provide necessary support, assistance, and cooperation. [88]

The law emphasized global concerns over the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to collect user information from TikTok as well as the party’s ability to flood the app with Chinese Communist propaganda.[77][78]

September 13, 2017 - TikTok Launches in Indonesia

"As Indonesia has the sixth largest population of Internet users in the world, we see a huge market opportunity for our app. Our Tik Tok community is growing rapidly in China and starting to spread globally, including to Indonesia. We are planning to cultivate more content creators in Indonesia, as talented youth across the region love to celebrate, create, and share. Making music videos is becoming more fun with advanced technology and a world of Tik Tok supporters to cheer them on," said TikTok’s head of marketing Viv Gong. [74]

November 2017 - ByteDance Acquires musical.ly

Looking for an entrance into the global market, ByteDance acquired musical.ly for a reported $800 million to $1 billion. The deal allowed musical.ly to continue to operate independently while taking advantage of ByteDance’s AI technology. [68][69]

August 2, 2018 - TikTok Merges with musical.ly, Launching App in United States

Consolidating the platforms means that muscial.ly users’ accounts were shifted onto the TikTok. At the time of the merger, reports indicated musical.ly had 100 million monthly active users, while TikTok had 500 million. Alex Zhu, cofounder of muscial.ly and senior vice president of TikTok, said, “TikTok, the sound of a ticking clock, represents the short nature of the video platform. We want to capture the world’s creativity and knowledge under this new name and remind everyone to treasure every precious life moment. Combining musical.ly and TikTok is a natural fit given the shared mission of both experiences.”[73][75]

November 2018 - TikTok Overtakes Other Social Media Apps

For the first time, TikTok had more monthly downloads than Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. [150]

January 26, 2019 - TikTok Allows Advertising

A Grubhub ad was spotted on TikTok in early 2019, marking the social media platform’s first foray into advertising. [76]

February 27, 2019 - TikTok Settles Child Privacy Violation Claims

The Federal Trade Commission announced a record $5.7 million settlement over allegations that TikTok illegally collected information about kids. “This record penalty should be a reminder to all online services and websites that target children: We take enforcement of Coppa [Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act] very seriously, and we will not tolerate companies that flagrantly ignore the law,” said FTC chairman Joseph J. Simons. [149]

November 1, 2019 - TikTok Reportedly Under U.S. National Security Review

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a federal panel chaired by the U.S. Treasury Department that reviews national security issues related to foreign acquisitions of American companies, was reported to be investigating ByteDance,. for censoring politically sensitive content, and raising questions about how it stores personal data. The review was allegedly prompted by the 2018 musical.ly and TikTok merger; because ByteDance did not seek approval from CFIUS, the committee has jurisdiction to investigate. [81][82]

December 16, 2019 - U.S. Department of Defense Issues Guidance on TikTok

The Defense Department issued a “Cyber Awareness Message” that warned "TikTok [has] potential security risks associated with its use” and that all employees should "be wary of applications you download, monitor your phones for unusual and unsolicited texts etc., and delete them immediately and uninstall TikTok to circumvent any exposure of personal information." [84]

December 2019 - U.S. Army and Navy Ban TikTok on Government Devices

The bans followed the guidance issued by the Department of Defense earlier in December 2019 and do not extend to personal devices. [84][85][86]

January 2020 - U.S. Marine Corps Bans TikTok on Government Devices

U.S.M.C. spokesperson Capt. Christopher Harrison told the New York Times, “This decision is consistent with our efforts to proactively address existing and emerging threats as we secure and defend our network. This block only applies to government-issued mobile devices.” [87]

January 3, 2020 - U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard Confirm TikTok Bans

The military branches confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that the app has been banned from government devices, following DoD guidance. [90]

August 6, 2020 - President Donald Trump Issues Executive Order 13942

U.S. President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13942, which banned transactions between ByteDance and U.S. citizens, effectively banning the app altogether. [3]

September 19, 2020 - Oracle Partners with TikTok as Part of “Project Texas”

“Project Texas” is the name of TikTok’s effort to store American data to the United States and thereby mitigate national security concerns. The centerpiece of that effort is a partnership with the Texas-based information technology company Oracle.

“As a part of this agreement, TikTok will run on the Oracle Cloud and Oracle will become a minority investor in TikTok Global,” said Oracle CEO Safra Catz. “Oracle will quickly deploy, rapidly scale, and operate TikTok systems in the Oracle Cloud. We are a hundred percent confident in our ability to deliver a highly secure environment to TikTok and ensure data privacy to TikTok’s American users, and users throughout the world. This greatly improved security and guaranteed privacy will enable the continued rapid growth of the TikTok user community to benefit all stakeholders.” [91][92]

November 12, 2020 - U.S. Department of Commerce Will Not Enforce TikTok Ban

Citing a court case brought by three TikTok stars—Douglas Marland (comedian), Cosette Rinab (fashion influencer), and Alex Chambers (musician)—the U.S. Department of Commerce stated that it would not enforce the ban. [4]

May 19, 2021 - ByteDance CEO Steps Down

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming announced he was stepping down as CEO, but remaining with the company as chairman. He stated, “I’m more interested I \n analyzing organizational and market principles, and leveraging these theories to further reduce management work, rather than actually managing people.” He added, “Similarly, I’m not very social, preferring solitary activities like being online, reading, listening to music, and contemplating what may be possible." The reins were handed over to Liang Rubo, Zhang’s college roommate and head of ByteDance’s human resources department. [72]

June 11, 2021 - President Joe Biden Overturns Trump Executive Order 13942

President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14034, which overturned Trump’s executive order 13942 (as well as two other Trump executive orders that focused on Chinese social media companies) and ordered a review of foreign-owned apps by government agencies. [5]

October 26, 2021 - TikTok’s Michael Beckerman Testifies in Subcommittee

During the Senate subcommittee—”Protecting Kids Online: Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube”—Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s Vice President and Head of Public Policy for the Americas, testified, “It truly does take a village to keep minors safe online, and we will continue to work with teenagers, parents, child safety experts and organizations, policymakers, and other interested stakeholders to continue to improve and do better.” [123]

June 17, 2022 - BuzzFeed Reports TikTok Employees Repeatedly Accessed American User Data

“Leaked audio from more than 80 internal TikTok meetings ... contain 14 statements from nine different TikTok employees indicating that engineers in China had access to US data between September 2021 and January 2022, at the very least,” according to BuzzFeed.

“The recordings range from small-group meetings with company leaders and consultants to policy all-hands presentations and are corroborated by screenshots and other documents, providing a vast amount of evidence to corroborate prior reports of China-based employees accessing US user data. Their contents show that data was accessed far more frequently and recently than previously reported, painting a rich picture of the challenges the world’s most popular social media app has faced in attempting to disentangle its US operations from those of its parent company in Beijing. Ultimately, the tapes suggest that the company may have misled lawmakers, its users, and the public by downplaying that data stored in the US could still be accessed by employees in China,” summarized BuzzFeed News Reporter Emily Baker-White. [94]

July 2022 - “Project Texas” Begins Roll Out

The plan “addresses data security, works to protect influence over content, and ensures there are no backdoors into the app. Under Project Texas, TikTok’s American operations would be siloed and monitored by an in-house committee called TikTok U.S. Data Security—leadership for which would be approved by the U.S. government. Under the new organizational structure, TikTok would also utilize the Committee of Foreign Investment in the United States, an interagency U.S. governmental committee that has handled TikTok negotiations for the last few years, as a third-party security resource. Additionally, Oracle would be able to review TikTok’s code and software in “transparency centers,” and monitor global data flows necessary to allow U.S. TikTok users to engage with the app’s international content. The U.S. government will reportedly also be able to access the transparency centers,” according to Texas Monthly journalists Amanda O’Donnell and Lauren Castro. [93]

July 13 2022 - FCC Commissioner Says Troops’ TikTok Use Endangers U.S. Military

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr testified to Congress, “With TikTok, this is a device right in your pocket. It’s going inside the military installation, looking at location data, which can give people information on troop movements.” He continued, “There’s a range of ways that that sensitive data going back to Beijing with their sophisticated [artificial intelligence] can ultimately be used to harm U.S. national security.”

Furthermore, “All of the concerns with TikTok are heightened in the military context,” according to Carr, because “At its core, TikTok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of sensitive data from search and browsing history, keystroke patterns, location data, and biometrics including face prints and voice prints.” [88]

October 20, 2022 - Forbes Reports ByteDance Plan to Surveil Physical Locations of Specific U.S. Citizens

Documents obtained by Forbes revealed TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, had plans to use TikTok’s IP tracking ability to monitor the physical locations of specific American citizens. While Forbes did not disclose the reported purposes of the surveillance to protect its sources, the news outlet noted the goal was not targeted ads, which is the usual reason apps have for tracking user location. The tracking is a direct contradication to what ByteDance told American lawmakers: that access to sensitive user data will be “limited only to authorized personnel, pursuant to protocols being developed with the U.S. Government.” The unit responsible for the tracking—ByteDance’s Internal Audit and Risk Control department—reports to executive Song Ye, who in turn reports directly to ByteDance cofounder and CEO Rubo Liang. [80]

December 22, 2022 - ByteDance Reveals Data Leak

New York Times journalist Cecilia Kang explains, “a few employees on a ByteDance team responsible for monitoring employee conduct tried to find the sources of suspected leaks of internal conversations and business documents to journalists. In doing so, the employees gained access to the IP addresses and other data of two reporters and a small number of people connected to the reporters via their TikTok accounts. They were trying to determine if those individuals were within proximity of ByteDance employees, according to the company, which added that the efforts failed to find any leaks.” The four employees involved--two in China and two in the United States--were fired, but the incident increased concern about the security of user data on the app. [79]

December 29, 2022 - Biden Signs No TikTok on Government Devices Act

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed on December 29, 2022, included the No TikTok on Government Devices Act championed by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). The act requires TikTok to be removed from all U.S. government devices and bans government employees from downloading the app on government devices as of March 29, 2023 (30 days after the memorandum was issued), instructing the heads of executive departments and agencies to enact the change).[6]

February 24, 2023 - DATA Act Introduced to the House of Representatives

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) introduced H.R.1153—the Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries (DATA) Act—to Congress on February 24, 2023. The bill sought to clarify that sensitive personal data of the sort TikTok might collect is not “information or informational materials.” The clarification would allow the U.S. president to regulate and block foreign-owned property and assets under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The bill did not make it out of committee in the House of Representatives. [64]

March 7, 2023 - RESTRICT Act Introduced to the Senate

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced S.686—Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act—on March 7, 2023. The bill would have required that the federal government, specifically the Department of Commerce, to “identify, deter, distrupt, prevent, prohibit, investigate, and mitigate transactions” that involve information and communications technology products “in which any foreign adversary (such as China) has any interest” and pose a national security or safety risk. The bill was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, but no further action was taken. [65]

March 23, 2023 - U.S. Congress Questions TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew

Committee Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) opened the hearing by stating, “Mr. Chew, you are here because the American people need the truth about the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security.” To which the CEO responded, “Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country.” Lawmakers questioned the ability of ByteDance to protect American data and why Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese counterpart, does not allow the violent or otherwise dangerous videos that flood TikTok. [83]

April to May 2023 - Montana Bans TikTok for All Users and Faces Lawsuits

Montana went a step further. On April 14, 2023, legislators in Montana passed SB0419, which would ban TikTok in Montana and prohibit online stores from offering the social media app as of January 1, 2024. The ban includes a $10,000 penalty per violation per day for TikTok and the app store providing the platform. However, individual users would not be subject to the fine. If TikTok were sold to “a company that is not incorporated in an adversarial nation,” the ban would be lifted. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte sent the bill back to the legislature with amendments that would expand the ban to all social media apps that provide “certain data to foreign adversaries” and remove penalties for app stores.

Gianforte signed the amended bill into law on May 17, 2023, banning TikTok in Montana. The next day, five TikTok content creators filed a lawsuit against the state, and TikTok filed a lawsuit against the state on May 22, 2023. Both lawsuits claim the law violates the First Amendment. [9][10][11][12][13][14]

June 2, 2023 - Department of Defense Bans TikTok

Following several years of guidance requesting that employees not use TikTok, the DoD has officially banned TikTok on all devices connected to government systems. The rule states, “This prohibition applies to devices regardless of whether the device is owned by the government, the contractor, or the contractor’s employees (e.g., employee-owned devices that are used as part of an employer bring your own device (BYOD) program).” [89]

November 30, 2023 - Federal Judge Blocks Montana’s TikTok Ban

Judge Donald W. Molloy stated, “The current record leaves little doubt that Montana’s Legislature and attorney general were more interested in targeting China’s ostensible role in TikTok than with protecting Montana consumers [and this] foray into foreign affairs interprets the United States’ current foreign policy interests and intrudes on them.” The law remained on hold pending the ruling in a federal lawsuit about whether the U.S. government is allowed to ban TikTok. [54][71]

January 31, 2024 - TikTok CEO Testifies to Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

During the hearing, Shou Chew stated, “The steps we’re taking to protect teens are a critical part of our larger trust and safety work, as we continue our voluntary and unprecedented efforts to build a safe and secure data environment for US users – ensuring our platform remains free from outside manipulation and implementing safeguards on our content recommendation and moderation tools.” [124]

March 13, 2024 - Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act Passed in House of Representatives

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which would force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in American app stores. While the bill passed the House 352–65 and President Biden has indicated support, the bill has not received a Senate vote. [55][56]

April 24, 2024 - President Biden Signed into Law the National Security Package

The package contains aid to Ukraine and Israel, among other countries, and the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, dubbed the “TikTok bill.” This act requires TikTok, or any other app deemed to be a “foreign adversary-controlled application,” to be sold to an American owner or face a ban in the United States. The owners have 270 days to sell the app—a timeline that can be extended up to a year by the president—before the app will be removed from app stores and blocked by American Internet service providers. The act is certain to be contested in court on First Amendment grounds. [57]

May 7, 2024 - ByteDance Sues to Stop Ban

TikTok and parent company ByteDance filed a petition in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to block the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, stating that the law is unconstitutional and based on “speculative and analytically flawed concerns about data security and content manipulation—concerns that, even if grounded in fact, could be addressed through far less restrictive and more narrowly tailored means.” A week later, on May 14, a group of TikTok users filed suit, saying the potential ban “threatens to deprive them, and the rest of the country, of this distinctive means of expression and communication.” [58][59]

August 2, 2024 - DOJ and FTC File Civil Lawsuit against TikTok

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FCC) filed a civil lawsuit against TikTok. The lawsuit claims that “from 2019 to the present, TikTok knowingly permitted children to create regular TikTok accounts and to create, view, and share short-form videos and messages with adults and others on the regular TikTok platform. The defendants collected and retained a wide variety of personal information from these children without notifying or obtaining consent from their parents. Even for accounts that were created in ‘Kids Mode’ (a pared-back version of TikTok intended for children under 13), the defendants unlawfully collected and retained children’s email addresses and other types of personal information. Further, when parents discovered their children’s accounts and asked the defendants to delete the accounts and information in them, the defendants frequently failed to honor those requests. The defendants also had deficient and ineffectual internal policies and processes for identifying and deleting TikTok accounts created by children.” TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek, responded, “We disagree with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed. We are proud of our efforts to protect children, and we will continue to update and improve the platform.” [61][62]

October 8, 2024 - 14 Attorneys General Sue TikTok

After a nearly two-year investigation, 13 state attorneys general and the D.C. attorney general have sued TikTok, alleging that the company not only knew of the harm it was inflicting on teens, but also purposefully addicted minors to the app and deceived the public about the risks. The lawsuits point to TikTok’s knowledge of the points that users can become addicted after watching 260 videos--about half an hour of viewing due to the videos ultra-short lengths--and that time-restrictions were only successful in gaining public trust rather than actually mediating mental illness risks. Futhermore, the lawsuit claims that TikTok knows the dangers of beauty and other filters popular on the app, but still actively promotes their use; and TikTok’s content moderation is faulty at best and actively promoting dangerous self-harm content at worst. Finally, TikTok is slow to remove users under 13, despite company policy. [95][96]

October 8, 2024 - Internal TikTok Documents Reveal Plan to Influence U.S. Politicians

Part of the Kentucky Attorney General’s lawsuit included redacted documents, uncovered by Kentucky Public Radio, that revealed TikTok planned to “identify TikTok accounts that might persuade each politician - along with his or her staff - as to the value of the Platform.” The goal was to alleviate politicians’ concerns about the app’s connections to China. The lawsuit specifically states that TikTok targeted Republican stalwart Mitch McConnell with videos from Kentucky businesses including a hot dog shop, a record store, a rural internet company, and a bait and ammunition store.[98]

October 11, 2024 - Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) Request TikTok Internal Documents on Child Endangerment

In a letter to CEO Shou Zi Chew, the senators state, “We write in response to shocking revelations of TikTok’s awareness of, and indifference to, its platform’s substantial harm to children and teens, and to demand documents,communications, and research held by TikTok regarding the safety of minors on its platform. According to information contained in a court filing from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, TikTok has knowingly designed their products in a manner that can cause substantial harm to kids – including fostering destructive addiction and amplifying child sexual exploitation. Rather than address these risks, TikTok instead seemingly misled the public about the safety of its platform.” [97]

November 6, 2024 - Canada Orders Dissolution of Canadian TikTok Business

After a national security review, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne ordered TikTok to shut down all Canadian operations, but stopped short of a ban on the app. He stated, “The government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content. The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice.” TikTok has indicated they will challenge the order in court. [132]

December 6, 2024 - Federal Appeals Court Upholds Federal Ability to Ban TikTok

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the federal government was not violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, stating, "The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States. Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” Representatives for TikTok have stated that the company will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. While the law requires that TikTok be sold by January 17, 2025 or face a nationwide ban, a potential Supreme Court case and a transition in power to the second Donald Trump administration on January 20, 2025 brings the enforcement of the law into question. [70]

December 6, 2024 - Romania Calls off Presidential Election, Citing Concerns of TikTok Interference

The Romanian constitutional court ordered a complete re-do of the election. The court cited concerns that the race had been “flawed throughout its entire duration and at every stage” via manipulation of digital media, TikToks alleged violation of Romanian regulations, and Russian bots. TikTok states that it does not allow “covert influence operations.” [130]

December 8, 2024 - TikTok Requests Temporary Freeze on TikTok Ban Law

TikTok asked a federal court to temporarily freeze the implemenation of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, signed by Biden in April. A freeze would allow TikTok the time to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court as well as postpone any implementation until after the transition to the second Trump administration. Trump has said he would “save TikTok,” though what that means is unclear. Without a freeze, the law requires that ByteDance sell TikTok by January 19, 2025 or face a ban in the United States. [99][100]

December 13, 2024 - D.C. Circuit Court Denies Request to Freeze TikTok Ban Law

In an unsigned order, the judges wrote, “The petitioners [TikTok] have not identified any case in which a court, after rejecting a constitutional challenge to an Act of Congress, has enjoined the Act from going into effect while review is sought in the Supreme Court." [104]

December 16, 2024 - TikTok Asks the U.S. Supreme Court Emergency Stay on TikTok Ban Law

TikTok lawyers argued, "A modest delay in enforcing the [Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications] Act will create breathing room for this Court to conduct an orderly review and the new Administration to evaluate this matter — before this vital channel for Americans to communicate with their fellow citizens and the world is closed." [126]

December 18, 2024 - U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Review TikTok Law

Oral arguments are scheduled for January 10, 2025. The Supreme Court did not stay the sale-or-ban law in the meantime.

December 21, 2024 - Albania Bans TikTok for One Year

Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has blamed the app for inciting violence, stated “The ban on TikTok for one year in Albania is not a rushed reaction to a single incident, but a carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country,”

The ban comes after a teen was stabbed to death by another teen after an argument began on social media. TikTok denies either teen had a TikTok account, to which Rama replied, “To claim that the killing of the teenage boy has no connection to TikTok because the conflict didn’t originate on the platform demonstrates a failure to grasp both the seriousness of the threat TikTok poses to children and youth today and the rationale behind our decision to take responsibility for addressing this threat.”

Rama concluded, “Our decision couldn’t be clearer: Either TikTok protects the children of Albania, or Albania will protect its children from TikTok,” [131]

December 27, 2024 - Trump Asks Supreme Court to Delay Start of TikTok Ban

The petition stated, “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case” and that Trump “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” [128][129]

January 10, 2025 - Supreme Court Hears TikTok Case

Just nine days before the ban is set to go into effect, justices heard about 2.5 hours of arguments. Experts believed the Court is inclined to uphold the law banning TikTok. [134]

January 15, 2025 - TikTok Indicates the App Will Be Completely Shut Down Immediately if Banned

Sources indicated that unless the U.S. Supreme Court blocks or stays the law banning TikTok, the company will shut down services for Americans on Sunday, January 19, 2025. The law bans new downloads and updates to the app; however, TikTok’s actions are a step further and speed up the timeline (American users would have eventually encountered a useless form of the app without access to app updates). With this plan, American users will see a pop-up with information about the ban and will have an option to download their data. [133]

January 15, 2025 - TikTok Says U.S. Employees Will Keep Jobs if Ban is Enforced

“Your employment, pay and benefits are secure, and our offices will remain open, even if this situation hasn’t been resolved before the January 19 deadline,” assured TikTok’s global head of human resources Nicky Raghavan. “The bill is not written in a way that impacts the entities through which you are employed, only the U.S. user experience.” [135]

January 16, 2025 - TikTok “Refugees” Flock to RedNote

With a potential ban looming, many American users flee to the Chinese TikTok alternative RedNote, increasing the app’s users by more than 700,000 in January and catapulting it to first place in Apple’s app store. CBS News reports that American officials believe RedNote could fall under the same sale-ban law as TikTok. RedNote was only intended for the Chinese market, and most of the posts before the TikTok exodus were in Mandarin. [137][138][139][140]

January 17, 2025 - Reports Say Biden Administration Won’t Enforce TikTok Ban

The ban is set to take effect on January 19, just a day before Trump is sworn in as president, pending a Supreme Court ruling. But, as the hours tick down and the Supreme Court seems likely to uphold the ban, reports from inside the Biden Administration indicate that the ban will not be enforced.

Trump and Democratic leaders also seem to have changed their tune about outright banning the app. Trump indicated that he will “save” TikTok. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said “It’s clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers.” [136]

January 17, 2025 - U.S. Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban

In a unanimous decision, the justices will allow the sale-or-ban law to go into effect on January 19, 2025.

The unsigned court ruling stated, “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.” [140][141]

January 19, 2025 - U.S. TikTok Ban Officially Goes into Effect

TikTok was officially shut down in the United States on Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 12:01 AM EST, with the following message appearing to American users:

Sorry TikTok isn’t available right now

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!

Many in the United States were surprised to find other ByteDance apps were also unavailable Sunday morning including but not limited to: CapCut, Lemon8, Hypic, Lark apps, Gauth, and Marvel Snap.[142]

January 19, 2025 - TikTok Begins Restoring Service in the U.S.

TikTok began restoring service later in the day on January 19 after president-elect Trump promised to work toward a solution for keeping TikTok open to American users.

As TikTok explained:

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.

While service was restored to TikTok users who kept the app on their devices, app stores are not allowing new downloads. [143]

January 20, 2025 - Trump Issues TikTok Executive Order

On day one of his second term in office, President Trump signed an executive order that stated:

I have the unique constitutional responsibility for the national security of the United States, the conduct of foreign policy, and other vital executive functions.  To fulfill those responsibilities, I intend to consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and agencies on the national security concerns posed by TikTok, and to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans. My Administration must also review sensitive intelligence related to those concerns and evaluate the sufficiency of mitigation measures TikTok has taken to date. . . .

I hereby order the Attorney General not to take any action on behalf of the United States to enforce the Act for 75 days from the date of this order, to permit my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course of action with respect to TikTok.  During this period, the Department of Justice shall take no action to enforce the Act or impose any penalties against any entity for any noncompliance with the Act.[144][145]

February 13, 2024 - Apple and Google App Stores Restore TikTok

After almost a month’s absence, the controversial app returned to app stores after Attorney General Pam Bondi assured the companies that they would not be fined for providing the app. [146]

March 14, 2025 - Vice President J.D. Vance Confident of TikTok Sale by April 5, 2025

The Vice President stated: “There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, allows there to be a distinct American TikTok enterprise,”

“We’re trying to close this thing by early April. I think that the outlines of this thing will be very clear. The question is whether we can get all the paper done,” he added. “I think whether it’s through an extension, or whether it’s through actually just getting the deal in place satisfies the national security concerns, I think we’re going to be in a place where we can say TikTok is operational, and it’s also operational in a way that’s protective of Americans’ data privacy and America’s national security.” [147]

March 25, 2025 - TikTok “Wallpapers” D.C. with Marketing Campaign

Ahead of the April 5, 2025, deadline for a sale, TikTok has “bought wraparound ads in the print editions of The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times; and poured money into national commercials,” according to journalist Sapna Maheshwari. The ad “campaign frames TikTok as a savior of Americans and a champion of small businesses.” [148]

April 4, 2025 - Trump Extends Sale or Ban Deadline

The president announced on Truth Social that he would issue an executive order to extend the sale deadline another 75 days. [153]

April 6, 2025 - Trump Says China Backed out of Sale Deal Because of Tariffs

Trump told reporters: “The report is that we had a deal, pretty much, for TikTok, not a deal but pretty close, and then China changed the deal because of tariffs.”

Trump officially announced new 10 percent tariffs on China on February 1, 2025. Between then and April 6, China and the U.S. both raised tariffs and taxes on goods imported from the other country several times. [154][155]