‘X is not allowed to operate in China...’: Elon Musk says ‘things need to change’ after TikTok goes dark in US

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who bought Twitter in October 2022 said ‘something needs to change’ even though he doesn’t support the ban on TikTok. 

Musk while arguing that the ban goes against ‘freedom of speech’ also highlighted the disparity between the geographies in which TikTok and X functions. 

In a post on X, Musk wrote, “I have been against a TikTok ban for a long time, because it goes against freedom of speech. That said, the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced.” 

“Something needs to change,” he added. 

Musk also shared an earlier post of his where he had argued that a ban on TikTok would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for, he said adding that even though the ban will benefit X. 

TikTok, a popular Chinese video-sharing app went dark on January 19 as the US Supreme Court upheld a law that pitched for its sale in order for the app to remain functioning in the US.  

The law passed by the Biden administration directed the app to sever all ties with its parent company, ByteDance, over national security concerns. The parent company, ByteDance, has so far refused to sell TikTok. 

The popular video-sharing app TikTok has gone offline in the US, just hours before a new law banning the platform came into effect. Users received “you can’t use TikTok for now” message on the app while using it.

Apple and Google have removed TikTok from their mobile app stores in the US as required by a law that took effect on January 19. 

The app is one of the most prominent social media platforms in the United States and is used by about 270 million Americans.  

President-elect Donald Trump has said he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a ban.