TikTok reveals when it’ll shut down app for Americans… here’s what it means for you
TikTok plans to close its app to U.S. users on Sunday, when a federal ban on the social media platform could come into effect, internal sources told Reuters.
That is, unless the Supreme Court takes action to block the ban.
The outcome of the closure would be different from the outcome prescribed by law. The law would only mandate a ban on new TikTok downloads in Apple or Google’s app stores, while existing users would be able to continue using it for a while, Reuters reported.
Under TikTok’s plan, people who try to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban, the sources said, requesting anonymity because the matter is not public.
The company also plans to give users the option to download all their data so they can capture their personal information, they said.
Shutting down such services would not require extended planning, the source said, noting that most operations will continue as normal from this week.
If the ban is later reversed, TikTok could restore service to U.S. users in a relatively short time, the source said.
Under the law banning the app, users would face several consequences.
TikTok plans to close its app to US users on Sunday, when a federal ban on the social media app could take effect, internal sources have told Reuters
Anyone who has not yet downloaded the app when the ban comes into effect will not be able to install it in the future.
However, existing users can still access and use the app.
But in addition to seeing a pop-up about the ban when opening the app, they will not be able to install updates, which is likely to cause it to deteriorate over time and stop working.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which has more than 7,000 employees in the US.
Last April, President Joe Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its US assets by January 19, 2025 or face a nationwide ban.
The move came amid congressional concerns about the threat TikTok poses to U.S. national security.
US lawmakers have claimed that the Chinese government could use the app to spy on Americans or influence the American public by amplifying or suppressing certain types of content.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court appeared inclined to uphold the law despite calls from some of President-elect Donald Trump’s lawmakers to extend the deadline, Reuters reported.
Trump, who will be sworn in a day after the law would take effect, has said he should have time to pursue a “political solution” to the issue.
TikTok and ByteDance have said the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protections against government abridgments of free speech.
Both the app and its parent company have tried to delay the implementation of the law.
In a December court filing, TikTok said an estimated one-third of the 170 million Americans who use the app would stop accessing the social media platform if the ban lasted a month.