TikTok ban US: Trump may give 90-day reprieve on Jan 20, app gears for farewell, users seek alternatives —Top 10 updates

United States President-elect Donald Trump told news channel NBC that he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban when he takes office on Monday (January 20), Reuters reported.

Trump appeared on NBC on January 18 and addressed concerns about the potential ban on the TikTok app affecting 170 million American users. The app is set to shut down on January 19 based on the government timeline and Supreme Court upheld ban decision.

Tiktok Ban in the US: Top 10 Updates

• “The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it's appropriate. If I decide to do that, I'll probably announce it on Monday,” Trump told NBC.
• TikTok begins farewell in the US. Users who logged into the app late on January 18 received a message that said the law would “force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. We're working to restore our service in the US as soon as possible”.
• The app on January 17 said it will go dark in the US unless President Joe Biden's administration provides assurances to companies such as Apple and Google that they will not face enforcement actions when a ban takes effect.

• Experts said Trump could also direct his Justice Department to “deprioritise” or not enforce the law but it is not clear if that will provide enough legal protection to app store owners Apple and Google providing crucial services for TikTok.
• The White House reiterated on January 18 said that it was up to the incoming administration to take action. “We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
• The Chinese embassy in Washington accused the US of using unfair state power to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” a spokesperson said.
• Meanwhile, users filmed themselves frantically scrolling or sharing final secrets with their followers ahead of the ban.

• According to a report by The Information, Oracle, the main cloud computing provider for TikTok's US operations has told staff to prepare to shut down servers that host in the country as soon as 9 pm ET on January 18 (0200 GMT on January 19).
• Uncertainty over the app's future had sent users — mostly young Americans to alternatives including China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta and Snap had also seen their shares rise this month ahead of the ban.
• Further, marketing firms reliant on TikTok have rushed to prepare contingency plans this week in what one executive described as a "hair on fire" moment after months of conventional wisdom saying that a solution would materialize to keep the app running.

There have been signs TikTok could make a comeback under Trump. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the US presidential inauguration and attend a rally with Trump on Sunday, a source told Reuters.

(With inputs from Reuters)