Islamabad, Jan 15: TikTok plans to shut its app for US users from 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.
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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.
TikTok also plans to give users the option to download all their data so that they can take a record of their personal, they said.
TikTok and its Chinese parent ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments.
The Information first reported the news.
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.
The companies 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.
