Yesterday, TikTok went offline in the US and came back online after receiving assurances from President-elect Donald Trump to save the app.
The app has been removed from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. However, TikTok didn’t go down alone, as all apps related to its owner, ByteDance, were removed as well. This includes CapCut, ByteDance’s short-form video editing app, and even Marvel Snap, which Bytedance has published. Lemon8, another short-form video platform, one of the apps people in the US have been migrating to–which also happens to be, ironically, related to ByteDance–also went dark.
Just a few hours ago, TikTok announced they were in the process of restoring services in the US. US President-elect Donald Trump was said to be considering filing a 90-day extension for ByteDance to sell TikTok. In a post from Truth Social, he has expressed that he would like to have the US own 50% of TikTok. Perplexity AI is one of the names who have expressed interest in getting their hands on TikTok and all of its content.
What would it mean if TikTok were to be banned in the US? It would be hard to say its widespread ramifications. Content is one issue. You wouldn’t be the only one who follows a couple of people from the US. It would also force many companies, big, small, and independent to shift their strategies, as TikTok has become an impressive vehicle for marketing. It might also push other countries to further look into the app and take action as well.
These past couple of weeks as the TikTok ban loomed in the US, people have been migrating to alternatives. Some of the most popular ones of late include Lemon8 and RedNote. There is, of course, Meta’s Instagram Reels and Google’s YouTube Shorts.
In the midst of this saga, Meta has, as always, announced something new to rip-off an existing popular app or try to replace something with their own. In this case, as CapCut got cut, Meta swooped in to announce “Edits.” It is exactly like CapCut where users can edit their short form videos. They can also share draft versions with their friends and family to get early insights. Meta has been very excited lately, launching Reels, Threads, and now Edits.
Right now TikTok is at a spot where it could tip either way: Get banned or not banned. But with President-elect Donald Trump, who will be Inaugurated on January 20 (in the US), openly reconsidering options for TikTok, it seems there is a decent chance the app won’t be going anywhere.