A federal law banning ByteDance-owned apps in the US has resulted in the unavailability of popular apps like TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others. This move, driven by national security concerns, has left millions of US users without access to their favorite apps.
Just before the January 19 federal deadline, TikTok severed access for all users attempting to use the app from within the United States. A stark message greets US users when they try to open the app: 'A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can't use the TikTok app for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.
Please stay tuned!' Similar notifications appear on other applications owned by ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, which is headquartered in China and lies at the heart of the controversy surrounding the popular video app. This app, which boasted 170 million US users as of Saturday, is now unavailable alongside video-editing app CapCut, photo- and video-sharing app Lemon8, and others. A federal law passed last year prohibits ByteDance-owned applications from operating in the US on national security grounds. In response to Chinese laws mandating that Chinese-based companies provide their data to the Chinese government and intelligence agencies, the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) required ByteDance to sell TikTok and its other applications to an entity not based in China by Sunday. This sale did not materialize, leading to TikTok blocking US-based users on Saturday, January 18, ahead of the midnight deadline. Since PAFACA bans all applications operated by ByteDance, not just TikTok, users of its multitude of other applications are encountering the same restrictions. PAFACA does not mandate ByteDance to block US-based users of its applications. Instead, it prohibits any US company from providing any service to “distribute, maintain or update” ByteDance-owned applications. Consequently, many of these applications are no longer accessible through Apple and Google’s app stores. However, this situation may change soon after Donald Trump assumes office on Monday, as the US president-elect has indicated his intention to extend the deadline for a sale of TikTok by 90 days. The current situation presents a complex web of events. For now, here's a summary of all the applications US users can no longer access due to the US ban on ByteDance-owned applications. Beyond TikTok, several other ByteDance-owned applications integral to the TikTok ecosystem have also become unavailable. These include TikTok Studio (for creators to manage content and analyze performance), TikTok Shop Seller (for ecommerce sellers on the app to manage their business operations), and TikTok Lite (a smaller and faster version of the original app available in select countries). CapCut, a free video-editing tool optimized for vertical videos commonly shared on TikTok, is also inaccessible. It is a popular choice among amateur creators due to its professional features. Some creators even utilize CapCut to initially produce videos before uploading them to platforms other than TikTok. Lemon8, a photo-based social media app released by ByteDance in February 2023, resembles RedNote, a highly successful social media app in China. Many TikTok users have sought refuge on RedNote this week, mirroring a trend observed with Lemon8, which has also gone offline. Gauth, an educational app allowing students to capture images of their homework, utilizes artificial intelligence to comprehend the problem and provide step-by-step solutions. It boasts other features that enhance student productivity during study sessions. The app announced its shutdown this weekend, stating it has “helped 300 million users with billions of questions.” The ban on ByteDance-owned applications has also affected several games, including the fast-paced card game Marvel Snap. Developed by California-based studio Second Dinner and published by Nuverse, a subsidiary of ByteDance launched in 2019, Marvel Snap has been unexpectedly caught in the crosshairs of the TikTok ban law. Second Dinner issued a statement on X, assuring users that Marvel Snap is not disappearing. They are actively working to restore access for US users and will provide updates as they become available. Nuverse games Land of Empires and Mission EVO are also unavailable in US app stores. Hypic, a photo-editing tool launched in 2022, heavily relies on generative AI tools to enhance photo quality or transform a photograph into a cartoon. Lark, a Slack-like workspace communication application, was initially designed for internal messaging among ByteDance employees but has since become one of the most popular office communication apps in China, boasting several million active users. Melolo, Fizzo, and MyTopia Books are applications published by Poligon, a Singapore-based subsidiary of ByteDance, allowing users to watch short vertical dramas (Melolo) or read online fiction novels (Fizzo and MyTopia Books)
Tiktok Bytedance US Ban National Security PAFACA App Stores Donald Trump Capcut Lemon8 Gauth Marvel Snap
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