The Tiktok ban in the United States was short-lived, but it still reportedly led to at least one arson.
The United States’ Tiktok ban was quickly lifted when Donald Trump promised to give the service more time to organize its activities at the very beginning of his presidency. Romain Doucelin
Banning the video service Tiktok in the US was at least short-lived, but it still wreaked havoc. At least one notable arson is known to have occurred in Wisconsin, USA.
Among others, Gizmodo tells about a case in which local police say a 19-year-old set fire to a Republican congressman by Glenn Grothman the office. Grothman voted for the Tiktok Act. The law requires Tiktok’s US operations to be sold to US ownership or the service’s operation in the country will be banned.
The effects of the law began to be seen on Saturday evening, January 18, when the service blocked access for US users. A little after one o’clock on the night before Sunday, the authorities received information about a fire in the city of Fond du Lac.
There were no people in the building when the fire broke out and personal injuries were avoided. Based on the pictures, the damage was minor anyway.
The police arrested a 19-year-old man early Sunday morning on suspicion of starting the fire. The teenager reportedly admitted that he started the fire because he was upset about the Tiktok ban.
The suddenness of the young man’s actions is emphasized by the fact that the effects of the Tiktok ban were reversed by Sunday evening. The service allowed US users to use the app again and thanked President Donald Trump for allowing it to continue operating.
The Tiktok ban began to be discussed in the United States in 2020, when then-President Donald Trump thought that the Chinese-owned service was a threat to national security.
The law went into effect on Sunday, January 19, but on the same day, Trump promised to give the service more time right after his presidency begins on Monday.
On its own social media platform Trump reasoned solution that Americans deserve to see “exciting inaugurations” and other events and debates.
Trump himself joined Tiktok at the beginning of June 2024. He has praised the reception of his campaign videos on the service and the number of views, and has therefore started to talk about banning the service.