Chinese social networking platform TikTok has thanked President-elect Donald Trump for “providing the necessary clarity and assurance” following its announcement that it was working to restore service in the United States.
Following Trump’s promise to reinstate access to TikTok, which had ceased operations in the US on Saturday night in order to adhere to the Biden administration’s prohibition order, this situation has occurred.
In a post on X on Sunday, TikTok said, “In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
It is a resounding defense of the First Amendment and an opposition to arbitrary censorship. The tweet also stated, “We will collaborate with President Trump to find a sustainable solution that keeps TikTok in the US.”
An increasing conflict between the U.S. government and foreign-owned tech firms is brought to light by TikTok’s brief outage and the possibility of an outright ban. ByteDance, a Chinese business with connections to the Beijing government, is the owner of the app. Proponents of the ban contend that the app is a national security threat, while detractors view it as an essential tool for promoting small businesses and allowing free speech.
The app’s existence is important for the estimated 7 million small companies that depend on it for sales and marketing, in addition to its enormous user base. Though its future is still unclear, TikTok’s restoration suggests a possible move toward ending the impasse between lawmakers and the corporation.
