ALBAWABA – TikTok, the social media platform that allows users to create, share, and discover short-form videos, was officially banned in the US on January 19. Other applications are also joining the ban trend, not just TikTok.
TikTok ban in the US
The popular app was officially banned in the US today, preventing access for approximately 170 million American users.
The app went offline a few hours before the ban officially took effect, and users trying to access it received a message: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
The decision came after the Supreme Court ruled to ban the popular app in the country, citing concerns over potential user data collection and influence operations by China. Notably, TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese internet technology company.
A list of apps shutting down with TikTok amid US ban
Furthermore, TikTok is not the only app being shut down alongside TikTok due to the recent US ban. Other applications are set to join the ban, including Lemon8, CapCut, Gauth, and Marvel Snap.
Lemon8, a social media app owned by Heliophilia Pte. Ltd., a Singaporean company linked to the Chinese internet company ByteDance, is similar to Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram, all combined into one application. The app allows users and subscribers to share photos and videos.
CapCut, known in China as JianYing and formerly internationally as ViaMaker, is a Chinese short-form video editing app developed by ByteDance. The popular app went offline alongside TikTok today.
Additionally, Gauth and Marvel Snap also went offline. Marvel Snap, a digital collectible card game developed by Second Dinner, was published by ByteDance in the US. Gauth, an app that offers homework help to students, is fully owned by ByteDance.
ByteDance decided to block most of its applications in the US amid the official ban of TikTok, which goes into effect today.
