TikTok said on Friday night that it will “go dark” on Sunday, the starting date of the Biden administration’s ban on the app.
The Supreme Court recently ruled against the app’s bid to stay online despite the Trump administration’s insistence that it will handle its future.
“The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” the company said in a post on X.
The company said the app could avoid going dark if the administration “immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement.”
“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” it said.
Biden’s administration confirmed on Friday it would not enforce the ban. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that “actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration.”
“TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a written statement.
“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday,” she said.
Trump will reportedly take immediate action on the ban with his consideration of an executive order that will halt the ban for 60 or 90 days. The delay will give the Trump administration time to either broker a sale of the company to an American entity or another unknown solution.
The president-elect said earlier Friday that he spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping about TikTok.
Two hours later, Trump said he expected the Supreme Court’s decision and that “everyone must respect it.”
“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation,” he said.
Trump’s recent stance on TikTok is very different from his stance from his first term as president. He issued an executive order in August 2020 focused on “addressing the threat posed by TikTok.”
The Senate passed a bill in April 2024 forcing TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the company to an American entity or face a ban. The ban was included in a $95 billion foreign aid legislation to Ukraine and Israel with President Joe Biden later signing the legislation.
Several months later, TikTok’s legal challenge to the bid has failed and appears to be heading toward a temporary ban at least.
But the president-elect warmed to the app during the election cycle, using its reach to enhance his successful presidential campaign. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points, and there are those that say TikTok had something to do with it,” he said in December 2024.
A group of Democrats introduced the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act earlier this week, seeking to extend the ban’s deadline by 270 days. The lawmakers cited that protecting the data of Americans is necessary, but a ban of TikTok may go too far.
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That legislation will likely not move fast enough to prevent a ban in the near future. Trump’s inauguration will provide the first opportunity for TikTok change.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will attend Trump’s inauguration along with other tech leaders.
