Tiktok Says Us Ban Will Force It To Stop Services

TikTok told users Saturday night that it plans to go dark in the U.S. once a federal ban on the app officially takes effect.

“We regret that a U.S. law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable,” the company sent in a pop-up on the TikTok feed. “We're working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned.”

For now, users can dismiss the message and continue scrolling through videos. But starting at midnight, it will become illegal for any company to distribute, maintain or update TikTok after the Supreme Court upheld a law forcing the app to sever ties from Beijing-based ByteDance. App stores have not shared their plans for Sunday, but they risk potentially bankruptcy-inducing fines of $5,000 a day per user if they keep offering the app.

The possibility of a TikTok return will now lie with incoming President Donald Trump, who has promised to broker a deal to save the app and is considering granting it a 90-day extension. The company is likely to have significant business and legal hurdles, and compete for attention with a raft of new Day One priorities.

The company also lobbied President Joe Biden Friday night, warning it would “go dark” without his explicit promise to not enforce the law. The White House later said there is “no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days.”