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TikTok plans to shut down its app to U.S. users on Sunday unless the Supreme Court moves to block it, people familiar with the matter said, when a federal ban on the social media app could take effect.
The results of a closure will differ from those provided by law. The law will enforce a ban on new TikTok downloads from the Apple or Google app stores, while existing users can continue to use it for a period of time.
Under TikTok’s plan, people who try to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website containing information about the ban, sources said.
The company also plans to give users the option to download all their data so they can record their personal information, they said.
TikTok and its Chinese parent ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The Information first reported the news.
Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutional investors including Blackrock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees each own 20%. It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed a law last April requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court appeared inclined to uphold the law, despite calls from President-elect Donald Trump and lawmakers to extend the deadline.
Trump, whose inauguration took place the day after the law took effect, said he should have time to seek a “political solution” to the issue after taking office.
TikTok and ByteDance are at least seeking to delay implementation of the law, which they say violates First Amendment protections against government restrictions on free speech.
TikTok said in a court filing last month that an estimated one-third of the 170 million Americans who use its app would stop accessing the platform if the ban lasted a month.
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