TikTok has been shut down in the US

TikTok users in the US can no longer access the social network, while Apple and Google have also removed the software from their app stores.

TikTok users in the US will receive a notification that the social network has stopped working as shown in the picture - Photo: REUTERS

According to Reuters, at around 10:45 p.m. on January 18 (Washington DC time), the social network TikTok temporarily stopped operating in the United States.

TikTok shuts down in the US

Users in the US will now see the following message when trying to access TikTok: "The TikTok ban has been enforced in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok right now. We're fortunate that President Trump has said he'll work with us to find a way to get TikTok back after he takes office. Stay tuned for more information."

Previously, TikTok users also received a similar message but could still ignore it and continue using the app. However, this is no longer possible.

The leadership of Oracle - the company that provides cloud computing services for TikTok's operations in the US - directed employees to shut down the social network's servers from around 9:00 p.m. on January 19.

Meanwhile, Apple and Google have also removed TikTok from the two largest mobile app stores for iOS and Android platforms.

With the above moves, TikTok users in the US will have no way to use this social network legally for now.

What hope for TikTok?

Mr. Trump is seen as TikTok's last hope in the US - Photo: REUTERS

The suspension of TikTok services is to comply with the ban on this social network, stipulated in a law passed by the US Government in April 2024.

Through this law, the US government unanimously forced ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to divest all of its social media operations in the US. This company is based in China and has long been a major security threat to Washington.

ByteDance's deadline for divestment is January 19, and so far the company has made no moves to promote a TikTok transfer deal.

TikTok’s attempt to challenge the law was a complete failure, with the US Supreme Court also ruling in favor of a ban. TikTok and its 170 million US users’ last hope rests entirely on Mr. Trump.

The US president-elect built a sizable TikTok following during his presidential campaign, so he called for a delay in the ban to give him more time to negotiate a deal that would help the social network.

On January 18, Mr. Trump publicly revealed his immediate plan on NBC: "There will most likely be a 90-day extension, because that is appropriate. If I decide to do that, I will probably do it on January 20 (inauguration day)."

Not only TikTok, ByteDance's famous applications have also stopped working in the US, including the popular video editing software CapCut.

Americans flock to other social networks from... China

Social network RedNote has been welcoming a wave of "American users migrating" from TikTok in recent days - Photo: REUTERS

Faced with the threat of TikTok being banned, tens of thousands of American users have been looking for new social networking solutions in recent days. RedNote (Xiaohongshu, Little Red Book) is considered the top choice.

On January 14, Reuters confirmed that this social network had become the top searched application on app stores in the US. In the previous two days, RedNote also increased by 700,000 users, with a significant portion of them coming from the US.

This popular choice for Americans is also a social network from China. RedNote has long been dubbed "China's answer to Instagram", a social network with a leading number of users owned by Meta Group.

The massive influx of users in the US has left many accounts from China unable to hide their surprise. In a public live chat session, up to 50,000 American and Chinese users joined in and discussed topics such as cuisine , youth unemployment, etc.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tiktok-da-ngung-hoat-dong-o-my-20250119121320948.htm