TikTok Restores Service — Thanks Trump for Giving ‘The Necessary Clarity’ to Service Providers

TikTok restored service to US users Sunday morning after President-elect Donald Trump assured its third-party service providers they were operating within the law by working with the Chinese-owed company.

The Tikok policy account made the announcement in a statement on X after Trump vowed a Monday executive order that would throw the beleaguered app a lifeline after it voluntarily cut off service in the country Saturday night.

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.

Sunday afternoon, the platform announced it was back up and running by showing viewers the following message: “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back back in the U.S.!”

On Friday night, the account warned American users it would go “dark” after the Biden administration failed to offer those same providers legal “assurances.”

Trump announced he would intervene immediately in a Sunday statement in which he floated – among other ideas – “joint” ownership between the US and its Beijing-based owner ByteDance.

The company had the better part of a year to divest from TikTok or see the app shut down in the US. The company opted not to sell.

Trump said Sunday:

I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.

Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations.

I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up. Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions.

Therefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose.

This story has been updated.