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TikTok plans to shut its app for U.S. users on Sunday, when a federal ban on the social media app could come into effect, unless the Supreme Court moves to block it, sources familiar with the matter said.
The outcome of the shutdown would be different from that mandated by the law. The law would mandate a ban only on new TikTok downloads on Apple or Google app stores, while existing users could continue using it for some time.
Under TikTok’s plan, people attempting 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 as the matter is not public.
The company also plans to give users an option to download all their data so that they can take a record of their personal information, they said.
TikTok and its Chinese parent, ByteDance, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. The Information first reported the news.
Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutional investors such as Blackrock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20% each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States.
President Joe Biden had in April last year signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets by Jan. 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court seemed inclined to uphold the law, despite calls from President-elect Donald Trump and lawmakers to extend the deadline.
Trump, whose inauguration takes place the day after the law goes into effect, has said he should have time after taking office to pursue a “political resolution” of the issue.
TikTok and ByteDance have sought, at the very least, a delay in the implementation of the law, which they say violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protection against government abridgment of free speech.
TikTok said in a court filing last month it estimates one-third of the 170 million Americans using its app would stop accessing the platform if the ban lasts a month.
