The Shut Down of TikTok
New York, January 20, 2025, Kim Dynasty

On January 18, 2025, TikTok suspended its services in the United States due to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) enforcement. This legislation required ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to divest its ownership by January 19, 2025, to mitigate national security concerns. ByteDance did not complete the divestiture by the deadline, leading to TikTok's removal from app stores and inaccessibility for U.S. users (January 18, 2025, Richard Lawler for The Verge).
Surprise, surprise, on January 19, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to issue an executive order extending the divestiture deadline by 90 days. This extension allowed TikTok to restore its services to U.S. users within a few hours. Despite the reprieve, TikTok's future in the U.S. remains uncertain, pending further political developments and compliance with PAFACA's requirements (January 19, 2025, David Hamilton for AP News).
President-elect Donald Trump's involvement in TikTok's reinstatement on January 19, 2025, appears to stem from his announcement of plans to extend the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to comply with the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA).
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA)Â is a U.S. legislative measure designed to address national security concerns associated with foreign-owned applications, particularly those controlled by entities in countries deemed adversarial to the United States.
President-elect Trump announced his intention to issue an executive order extending the divestiture deadline by 90 days. This created a temporary pathway for TikTok to reinstate its services while negotiations continued. Following Trump's statement, the Department of Commerce and other regulatory agencies facilitated the swift restoration of TikTok services to align with the incoming administration's policy direction.
To no surprise, the reinstatement signaled Trump's potential approach to balancing national security concerns with the platform's popularity and economic impact. His involvement highlighted the importance of the administration's stance on tech regulation and handling relations with China.
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