The United States government has formally banned the popular social media platform TikTokTikTok went dark on Sunday, January 19, 2025, following a Supreme Court ruling, thereby becoming unavailable for download to millions of usersOther social media apps, such as CapCut and Lemmon8, owned by TikTok’s parent company, have also been removed from app stores
Henzodaily.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.
The social media platform TikTok has officially been banned in the US following the implementation of a federal law which cited security concerns over Chinese ownership.
The ban began on Sunday, January 19, 2025, and prohibits the country’s social media platform from operating.
US officially bans TikTok as millions switch to alternative platforms
Credit: Bloomberg/Contributor
Source: Getty Images
Close to 170 million Americans are affected
The law also mandates TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest its ownership or face a total shutdown.
Reuters reports that the video-sharing platform became unavailable for download on Apple and Google stores in the US as 170 million users could not access the app.
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TikTok goes dark in US as Trump seeks reprieve from ban
The report said that the message displayed on users’ feeds says a law banning TikTok has been implemented in the US, meaning they cannot use it now.
ByteDance expressed hope that the incoming President Donald Trump would mostly give TikTok a 90-day window from the ban after assuming office on Monday, January 20, 2025.
CapCut and Lemmon8 are also banned
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned,” the company wrote.
According to the publication, other apps owned by ByteDance, such as CapCut, a video editing app, and Lemmon8, a lifestyle social media app, are also affected.
Meanwhile, millions of American users have lamented the loss of revenue from the app, stating that they will now switch to other platforms such as Instagram and Facebook reels.
Through the TikTok Creator Fund, TikTok pays eligible creators between 2 and 4 cents per 1,000 views. However, the amount paid varies based on several factors, including the video’s duration, engagement, and view count.
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Nigeria fines Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram $220 million
Henzodaily.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian government has fined Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, $220 million through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for alleged data privacy violations.
The FCCPC said in a statement signed by Adamu Abdullahi, its acting executive chairman, that it found Meta guilty of denying Nigerian data subjects the right to self-determine, unauthorized transfer and sharing of Nigerian data, including cross-border storage in violation, discrimination, and disparate treatment, abuse of dominance, and tying and bundling.
The Commission noted that it decided after a joint investigation with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), which lasted for almost three years, that the investigation examined Meta’s conduct, privacy policies, and operations.
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Source: Henzodaily.ng