Less than a day after the popular social media platform TikTok went offline for users across the United States, the company says it has begun restoring service.
"In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service," the company said Sunday in a statement. "We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive."
"It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship," the statement continues. "We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States."
The move comes after President-elect Donald Trump said he would issue an executive order once he is inaugurated Monday to give TikTok's China-based parent company more time to find a U.S. buyer and avoid a permanent ban.
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"I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture," Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social platform. "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."
TikTok users in the U.S. were greeted with a message on Saturday night saying the app was no longer available due to a law that went into effect Jan. 19.
The app was also removed from the Apple Store and Google Play.
TikTok warned that it would go dark in the U.S. unless it got assurances from the Biden administration that it would not enforce a law that was upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday. The Biden administration deferred any future action to the incoming Trump administration.
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Congress passed the bipartisan bill into law in April of last year that banned TikTok from operating in the United States, citing national security concerns.
The legislation required TikTok to either divest from its China-based parent company ByteDance, sell the platform to a U.S.-owned company, or face a shutdown on Jan. 19.
