TikTok Goes Dark Just Hours Before Official Ban in the United States

POV: You’re looking for a new app to scroll through for hours.

Just hours before Jan. 19, after the Supreme Court upheld a law that would require TikTok be sold to a U.S.-held company in order to remain active in the country, a nationwide ban of the popular video sharing app officially went into effect.

Now, when users open the app, they are met with a message—and no video content. “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” the note began. “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

Yes, for now. “We are fortunate that President [Donald] Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office [Jan. 20],” the message continued. “Please stay tuned!”

Last April, President Joe Biden signed the law passed by congress that would prohibit internet hosting platforms to distribute and service TikTok while it remained under the ownership of its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, citing national security concerns.