TikTok is preparing to shut off its app for users in the United States on Sunday, in anticipation of the US’s ban on the social media app, Reuters reported, citing an exclusive report by The Information.
In April of last year, President Joe Biden signed legislation mandating that ByteDance divest its U.S. assets by January 19, 2025, or risk a nationwide ban.
Under the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” if the ban is not blocked by the US Supreme Court, it will become illegal for web hosting companies, including Google or Apple app stores, to distribute or support TikTok the day President Trump assumes office.
ByteDance argued that the rule breaches the First Amendment’s guarantee against government censorship of free speech and has called for a delay in its implementation.
TikTok said in a court filing last month that if the ban is in place for a month, one-third of the 170 million Americans who use its app will no longer be able to access it.
The ByteDance-owned social media platform plans to give its users an option to download all their data so they can keep a record of their personal information, according to the report.