TikTok is reportedly gearing up for a potential shutdown in the United States on Sunday, according to sources cited by Reuters.
TikTok is set to suspend its app for users in the United States on Sunday, coinciding with the potential enforcement of a federal ban on the platform, unless the Supreme Court intervenes to prevent it, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The implications of this shutdown differ from what the law stipulates. The legislation would only prohibit new downloads of TikTok from Apple or Google app stores, allowing current users to continue accessing the app for a limited period.
As part of its strategy, TikTok plans to display a notification to users attempting to access the app, directing them to a website that provides details regarding the ban, as reported by sources who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information.
Additionally, the company intends to offer users the ability to download their data, enabling them to retain a record of their personal information.
Neither TikTok nor its parent company, ByteDance, responded immediately to requests for comment from Reuters. The Information was the first to report on this development.
ByteDance, which is privately held, is approximately 60% owned by institutional investors, including Blackrock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees collectively hold 20%. The company employs over 7,000 individuals in the United States.
In April of the previous year, President Joe Biden enacted a law mandating that ByteDance divest its U.S. assets by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court appeared to lean towards upholding the law, despite appeals from President-elect Donald Trump and other lawmakers to extend the deadline.
Trump, whose inauguration is scheduled for the day following the law's enforcement, has expressed a desire for time to seek a "political resolution" to the matter.
TikTok and ByteDance have requested, at a minimum, a postponement of the law's implementation, arguing that it infringes upon the First Amendment rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution regarding free speech.
In a court filing last month, TikTok estimated that if the ban were to persist for a month, approximately one-third of the 170 million Americans using its app would cease to access the platform.