A viral image shared on Instagram purports to show a message from the State Department telling users to uninstall TikTok.
Verdict: False
The claim has not been referenced on the State Department’s website or its verified social media accounts, and there is no other evidence supporting the claim.
Fact Check:
President Donald Trump said Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok, according to Reuters. Canadian investor and “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison have previously expressed interest in buying the platform, TIME Magazine reported.
The Instagram image, which has amassed over 30,000 likes as of writing, purports to show a message from the State Department telling users to uninstall TikTok. The purported image, which appears to bear an official State Department logo, claims “TikTok is banned” and “According to U.S. law, you are prohibited from using TikTok. Please uninstall TikTok immediately.”
The claim is false, however. The State Department does not appear to have issued a press release or social media statement regarding the claim. Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On Jan. 24, USA Today debunked the claim, indicating the image is “fabricated.”
On Jan. 19, TikTok restored service in the U.S. after Trump said, “we have to save [the app]” at a pre-Inauguration rally, according to Reuters. The popular social media app faced a ban following a law Congress passed last year ordering TikTok’s parent company, Byte Dance to divest by January 19, 2025 or be shut down in the U.S. The Supreme Court had upheld the law over concerns about the app’s “ties to China,” the outlet reported. (RELATED: Did Trump Publish A Tweet On Jan. 14 Saying He Would Buy TikTok?)
After taking office on Jan. 20, Trump issued an executive order giving TikTok a 75-day extension, according to USA Today.
Check Your Fact has contacted the State Department for comment.
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