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, people 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 TikTokâs plan, people attempting to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban, the people 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.
Shutting down such services does not require longer planning, one of the sources said, noting that most operations have been continuing as usual as of this week. If the ban gets reversed later, TikTok would be able to restore service for US users in a relatively short time, the source said.
TikTok and its Chinese parent, ByteDance, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
US tech publication The Information first reported the news.
Privately held ByteDance is about 60 percent owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20 percent each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States.
President Joe Biden last April signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its US assets by Jan. 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.
Last week, the US Supreme Court seemed inclined to uphold the law, despite calls from President-elect Donald Trump and lawmakers to extend the deadline.
Trump, whose inauguration comes the day after the law goes into effect, has said he should have time after taking office to pursue a âpolitical resolutionâ 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 US Constitutionâs First Amendment protection against government abridgement of free speech.
TikTok said in a court filing last month it estimated one-third of the 170 million Americans using its app would stop accessing the platform if the ban lasted a month.
By Krystal Hu, Disha Mishra and Jaspreet Singh; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala, Arun Koyyur, Anil DâSilva and Tomasz Janowski
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A majority of justices suggested they see US national security concerns as overriding the free speech interests of the companies and a group of content creators.
