TikTok Returns for US Users: App Expresses Gratitude to Trump
Trump's proposal placed significant pressure on the entire tech ecosystem that enables TikTok's availability to U.S. users. This includes app store operators and service providers such as Oracle, which hosts TikTok's servers.
TroibNews 
TikTok is reinstating access for users in the U.S. just hours after President-elect Donald Trump announced plans for an executive order aimed at preventing a federal ban on the app.
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok,” a company spokesperson remarked. “We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
Trump's proposal created pressure on the entire tech ecosystem that supports TikTok's availability to U.S. users, which includes app store operators and service providers such as Oracle, where TikTok's servers are hosted. Following the app's temporary unavailability to users, Apple and Google removed TikTok from their stores on Saturday night.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Trump stated on Truth Social. “The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order."
Legal experts caution that Trump's statements alone are unlikely to protect companies from severe penalties if they breach the law. It remains uncertain which service providers are willing to incur a daily fine of $5,000 for each user still able to access TikTok, a tally that could quickly escalate into billions. Currently, TikTok remains unavailable for download on Android and Apple devices.
“Trump can say that no TikTok service providers will face liability. He can say that all he wants,” commented Wayne Unger, a law professor at Quinnipiac University, in a post on X Sunday. “They remain exposed to legal liability for significant statutory penalties if they violate the law. That’s how the law works, y’all.”
Alan Rozenshtein, a former official at the DOJ who teaches at the University of Minnesota law school, cautioned TikTok's corporate partners to be wary of relying on the executive order.
“These ‘service providers’ have lost their minds,” he said. “There's no assurance that Trump, who's not even the president yet, can provide. I look forward to the shareholder suits.”
University of Pennsylvania law professor Gus Hurwitz pointed out that Trump is presenting a significant political and business challenge to companies. He noted Oracle, which provides cloud infrastructure for TikTok while ensuring U.S. data remains domestic, as one of the companies that might be more inclined to ignore the law's requirements. The firm and its executives have well-established connections to the Trump administration. Oracle did not respond immediately to inquiries from PMG.
“Oracle might see value in cozying up to Trump, even if it risks crippling liability. Doing so could be beneficial for the company, while not doing so might jeopardize crucial contracts,” said Hurwitz. “And they have at least some due process argument in reliance on the EO. Not the path I'd hoe; but I'm no CEO.”
The Supreme Court recently examined this very issue when hearing TikTok’s legal challenge to the law. During the proceedings, the justices questioned whether third parties would have legal protection if the president pledged to shield them, even if subsequent charges were brought later.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok,” a company spokesperson remarked. “We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
Trump's proposal created pressure on the entire tech ecosystem that supports TikTok's availability to U.S. users, which includes app store operators and service providers such as Oracle, where TikTok's servers are hosted. Following the app's temporary unavailability to users, Apple and Google removed TikTok from their stores on Saturday night.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Trump stated on Truth Social. “The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order."
Legal experts caution that Trump's statements alone are unlikely to protect companies from severe penalties if they breach the law. It remains uncertain which service providers are willing to incur a daily fine of $5,000 for each user still able to access TikTok, a tally that could quickly escalate into billions. Currently, TikTok remains unavailable for download on Android and Apple devices.
“Trump can say that no TikTok service providers will face liability. He can say that all he wants,” commented Wayne Unger, a law professor at Quinnipiac University, in a post on X Sunday. “They remain exposed to legal liability for significant statutory penalties if they violate the law. That’s how the law works, y’all.”
Alan Rozenshtein, a former official at the DOJ who teaches at the University of Minnesota law school, cautioned TikTok's corporate partners to be wary of relying on the executive order.
“These ‘service providers’ have lost their minds,” he said. “There's no assurance that Trump, who's not even the president yet, can provide. I look forward to the shareholder suits.”
University of Pennsylvania law professor Gus Hurwitz pointed out that Trump is presenting a significant political and business challenge to companies. He noted Oracle, which provides cloud infrastructure for TikTok while ensuring U.S. data remains domestic, as one of the companies that might be more inclined to ignore the law's requirements. The firm and its executives have well-established connections to the Trump administration. Oracle did not respond immediately to inquiries from PMG.
“Oracle might see value in cozying up to Trump, even if it risks crippling liability. Doing so could be beneficial for the company, while not doing so might jeopardize crucial contracts,” said Hurwitz. “And they have at least some due process argument in reliance on the EO. Not the path I'd hoe; but I'm no CEO.”
The Supreme Court recently examined this very issue when hearing TikTok’s legal challenge to the law. During the proceedings, the justices questioned whether third parties would have legal protection if the president pledged to shield them, even if subsequent charges were brought later.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
