TikTok is threatening to shut down its app for US users this Sunday if a federal ban goes into effect, sources have revealed.
Sunday is the deadline for the TikTok's parent company, Bytedance, to sell its US assets or be pulled from US app stores due to concerns over the app's links to the communist Chinese government.
Under that ban, Americans would still be able to use the app but new downloads would be blocked and its software would slowly degrade over time due to a lack of updates.
However, TikTok insiders have said they are prepared to shut the entire app down to all 150million of its American users in protest if the ban is upheld.
Under the shutdown, people attempting to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban, sources told Reuters.
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.
Shutting down such services does not require longer planning, one source said, noting that most operations have been continuing as usual as of this week.
If the ban gets reversed later, TikTok would be able to restore service for US users in a relatively short time, the source said.
TikTok hit the US in 2018, allowing Americans to use their creativity to make a living.
Khaby Lame is the world's most followed person on TikTok, with more than 162million followers. He makes roughly $259,000 per post.
Charli D'Amelio has the second largest following on the platform with more than 155million followers, raking in about $247,000 per video.
Mr. Beast is the third most followed TikTok creator with more than 106million followers, and each video earns him roughly $152,000.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which has more than 7,000 employees in the US.
Last April, President Joe Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its US assets by January 19, 2025 or face a nationwide ban.
The US Supreme Court seemed inclined to uphold the law as of last week, despite calls from President-elect Donald Trump to let TikTok live in the states.
Trump, who is set to be sworn into office one day after the law would go into effect, said that he should have time to pursue a 'political resolution' to the issue.
Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass, said Monday that he planned to introduce legislation to delay the ban by an additional 270 days.
'TikTok creators and users across the nation 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.
Markey has also jointed Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky, and Representative Ro Ghanna, D-Calif. in submitting a bipartisan brief asking the US Supreme Court to reverse a lower court's decision to uphold a TikTok ban.
The lawmakers argue that 'there are less drastic measures that could effectively address data security issues without infringing on constitutional rights,' according to the brief.
What will happen if I try to use TikTok after Sunday?
If TikTok does move forward with its plan to shut down the app on Sunday, US users who already have it installed will still be able to access it.
But upon opening it, they will see a pop-up message that points them to a website with more information about the ban.
Users will be able to download their data so that they can save personal information and any videos they posted to their account.
If the federal ban gets reversed, then TikTok is prepared to quickly restore access to its US users.
Under the law banning the app, however, users would face a different set of restrictions.
Anyone who does not already have the app downloaded when the ban goes into effect will not be able to install it going forward.
Existing users will be able to access and use the app. But they will not be able to install updates, which will likely cause it to degrade and stop working over time.
Will TikTok still work on my smartphone and desktop?
Reuters' sources did not specify how much TikTok's shutdown plan would restrict people's ability to use the app.
But it is probably safe to assume that users would not be able to make or scroll through content, meaning that the app would not work on smartphones for all intents and purposes.
It is not currently clear whether users will still be able to access the desktop version of the social media platform under these circumstances.
Under the ban, TikTok will work on smartphones, at least for a short time.
Existing users should still be able to access and create content. But without the ability to update the app, its functionality will likely degrade over time, making it harder and harder to use.
TikTok will not be accessible from an internet browser either, as the law applies to internet hosting companies.
But one workaround could be to use a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, which masks an internet user's location.
Could the TikTok ban be overturned?
TikTok and ByteDance have said the impending ban violates the US constitution's First Amendment protection against government abridgment of free speech.
Both the app and its parent company have sought to delay the implementation of the law.
In a December court filing, TikTok said that an estimated one third of the 170 million Americans who use the app would stop accessing the social media platform if the ban lasted a month.
Trump has said that he would attempt to reverse the ban should it go into effect before he takes office, though experts say this would come with challenges.
The outcome could hinge on support from Congress, the Supreme Court and other federal institutions, not to mention tech giants such as Apple, Google and Oracle, sources told ABC News.
The most direct way for Trump to try and reverse the policy would be to repeal the law that enacted the ban.
A repeal would have to pass in both the Senate and the House of Representatives before it could be signed into effect by Trump.
But gaining congressional support for a repeal could be challenging, as Congress voted in favor of the ban by a large margin in April 2024.
