TikTok plans to shut its app for US users from Sunday (Jan 19), 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 per cent owned by institutional investors such as Blackrock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20 per cent each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States.
