TikTok began restoring its services on Sunday after President Trump said he would issue an executive order to extend the time before a law banning the app in the United States takes effect.

“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order. Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” Trump wrote.

“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture.  By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up.  Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok.  With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions,” he continued.

“Therefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose,” he added.

Per NBC News:

Trump posted a few hours after TikTok went offline for U.S.-based users overnight as a bipartisan law that effectively bans it went into effect. Just hours after Trump’s post, it started coming back online for U.S. users.

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The company said in a statement: “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 for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”

It added, “We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”

The law, signed last year, gave TikTok’s owner, the Chinese-based company ByteDance, several months to sell to a U.S.-based company or face a ban. Lawmakers said they were concerned about the threats posed to users’ privacy and national security while TikTok remained under the ownership of a Chinese company.

Reuters reports:

TikTok’s public thanks to Trump, the day before he takes office, comes at a tense moment in U.S.-China relations. Trump has said he intends to place tariffs on China but has also indicated he hopes to have more direct contact with China’s leader.

When asked about the app’s restoration and Trump’s desire for a deal, China’s foreign ministry told a regular news briefing on Monday that it believed companies should “decide independently” about their operations and deals.

“TikTok has operated in the U.S. for many years and is deeply loved by American users,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. “We hope that the U.S. can earnestly listen to the voice of reason and provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for firms operating there.”

TikTok stopped working for U.S. users late on Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. U.S. officials had said that under Chinese parent company ByteDance, there was a risk of Americans’ data being misused.

Trump said he would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”

 

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