TikTok may shut down its app for U.S. users starting this Sunday, when a federal ban could take effect unless the Supreme Court intervenes to block it, according to sources familiar with the matter.  

 

The plan outlined by TikTok differs from what the law stipulates, which would only prohibit new downloads of the app from Apple and Google stores while allowing current users to continue accessing it temporarily.  

 

According to online sources, users who attempt to open TikTok after the shutdown will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban. Additionally, TikTok plans to provide users with the option to download all their data for personal record-keeping.  

 

Neither TikTok nor its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has responded immediately to Reuters’ requests for comment.  

 

You might also be interested in its Spanish version: TikTok se prepara para cerrar en Estados Unidos este domingo

 

The media outlet "The Information" was the first to report the news. This development comes in the context of a law signed last April by President Joe Biden, requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.  

 

Companies and advocacy groups have requested, at a minimum, a delay in enforcing the law, arguing that it violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by restricting freedom of speech.  

 

In a legal filing submitted last month, TikTok stated that it estimates one-third of the 170 million Americans using the app would lose access to the platform if the ban remains in effect for a month.