TikTok is preparing to shut down its popular short video app for hundreds of millions of users in the US if a federal ban takes effect on Sunday, reports say.
Sunday is the deadline for TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US assets or allow the app to face a nationwide ban unless the Supreme Court rules to block it. But while such a ban would effectively remove TikTok from app stores, it appears that TikTok is making other plans that are not strictly required by law.
If the federal ban on the app goes into effect as planned, TikTok appears poised to shut down the social media app in the US, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The news was first announced by Informata.
The revelation comes after the US Supreme Court appeared inclined to uphold a law that President Joe Biden signed last spring on national security grounds — even as President-elect Donald Trump and some lawmakers are advocating an extension to the Jan. 19 deadline.
Here’s what you need to know about the ban and what would happen under TikTok’s reported plan.
What would happen to the TikTok app on smartphones?
Under TikTok’s plan, people trying to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban, Reuters reported, citing sources who requested anonymity as the matter is not public.
The company also plans to give users an option to download all their data so they can record their personal information, they said.
USA TODAY reached out to TikTok on Wednesday about the details of the reported plan, which is different from what would be mandated by law.
Under the law, a TikTok ban would essentially make new downloads on app stores like Apple and Google no longer possible. While existing users can still access and use the app, they will not be able to update the app, which will likely degrade and stop working over time.
Trump, other lawmakers oppose TikTok ban deadline
Some lawmakers are asking President Biden and the US Supreme Court to take steps to prevent TikTok’s ban on Sunday
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said Monday he planned to introduce legislation to extend the Jan. 19 deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban by an additional 270 days.
“TikTok creators and users across the country are understandably alarmed. They are uncertain about the future of the platform, their accounts and the vibrant online communities they have cultivated,” Markey said in a statement. “These communities cannot be copied to another application. A ban would dismantle an informational and cultural ecosystem of sorts, silencing millions in the process.”
Markey also joined Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. in filing a bipartisan brief asking the US Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s decision to uphold a ban on TikTok. In summary, the lawmakers argued that “there are less drastic measures that can effectively address data security issues without infringing on constitutional rights.”
“Banning TikTok not only infringes on the free speech of millions of Americans, it also endangers the livelihoods of creators and small business owners who use the app,” Khanna said in a statement. “We need laws to protect Americans’ data. But banning TikTok is not the answer.”
Trump has also asked the Supreme Court to extend the deadline to give his administration time after taking office on Jan. 20 to pursue a political solution.
What would happen to TikTok employees in the US?
Despite the impending ban and TikTok’s plans to shut down the app, it appears that the jobs of 7,000 US employees may be safe.
TikTok plans to continue paying American workers even if the Supreme Court does not strike down a law that would force the app to be sold in the US, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday sent by the company’s leadership.
“I cannot stress enough that your well-being is a top priority and most importantly, I want to reinforce that as a US employee, your employment, wages and benefits are secure and our offices will remain open, even if this situation has was not resolved before the January 19 deadline,” the memo to TikTok employees said.
“The bill is not written in a way that affects the entities through which you are employed, only the user experience in the US,” the company said.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking news and trends for USA TODAY. Contact him at elagatta@gannett.com
