TikTok is back in the US — for now.

The platform briefly went dark for US users and vanished from US app stores shortly before a Sunday deadline, when its parent company, ByteDance, was supposed to sell its domestic operations to an American buyer.

After President-elect Donald Trump pledged to postpone the ban after taking office on Monday, the platform restored its services but remained unavailable for download.

But the clock is still ticking for the popular video app. While the company seems to have gained some extra time, TikTok must still secure a buyer or face a US ban.

At the same time, digital rights advocates warn that singling out one platform with a ban will do little to protect users — and could ultimately backfire.

"It's like playing a dangerous game of whack-a-mole that ends up putting users at even greater risk online," said Natalie Campbell, senior director for North American government and regulatory affairs at the nonprofit Internet Society.

While concerns about TikTok's security and privacy are legitimate, an outright ban would drive some users to unsafe workarounds and leave them more vulnerable than before, she told DW.

"People who rely on TikTok for their livelihood, for........

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