US users logging into TikTok from 0:19 today, January 1, will receive a notification: “The TikTok ban law has come into effect in the US. That means you cannot use TikTok at this time.”

TikTok previously informed users in the US that it would be shutting down from Sunday, and pledged to restore service as soon as possible.

TikTok currently has 170 million users in the US, about half the population, and is a major partner for service providers in data storage, applications, or marketing services.

The disappearance of the platform could cause financial problems for the businesses involved. Fear of the platform closing down has also caused many users to gradually switch to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snap, and even the Chinese app RedNote.

Trump said on January 18 that the TikTok ban could be delayed by 1 days, but no final decision has been made. It is unclear whether TikTok will overcome legal hurdles to get a three-month reprieve. It is likely that these will be binding agreements for ByteDance to complete the sale of TikTok by mid-April.

Another possibility is for Mr Trump to direct the US Justice Department to “de-prioritise” or not enforce the law. However, this is considered insufficient to protect companies involved in TikTok’s operations.

TB (synthetic)