Tiktok has been shut down – 170 million affected

Tiktok
Tiktok shuts down in the US

Beri Zangana,

TT

Updated 08.30 | Published 04.53

Tiktok has begun shutting down its app in the US, US media reports.

On the platform, several US users have received a message stating that the app is unavailable and that it will be “unavailable at this time”.

Users are greeted with a message in the app: “Tiktok is currently unavailable”, reports The Verge.

“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate Tiktok when he takes office”, the message continues.

The US Supreme Court on Friday approved a bill to ban Tiktok in the country due to security concerns about the platform’s ties to China.

Tiktok warned on Saturday that the app could be shut down for all 170 million Americans who use the app.

Considering a deadline

Donald Trump has previously said that he will likely give TikTok a 90-day deadline before the law banning the social media platform will pass.

– Ultimately, it's up to me, so you'll see what I do, Trump said in an interview with CNN shortly after the Supreme Court's decision.

TikTok's owner has been accused of allowing the Chinese state to spy on and collect data on its users, which is the background to the ban in the United States. Users who have TikTok will not be able to make any new updates, which also means that the app will deteriorate over time, the New York Times has previously reported.