TikTok is planning to shut down its app for U.S. users as soon as on Sunday if the Supreme Court does not intervene to block a potential federal ban, according to sources familiar with the situation. If enforced, the shutdown would differ from the provisions outlined in the law.
The law specifically calls for banning new TikTok downloads from Apple and Google app stores, while allowing existing users to continue accessing the app for a limited period. In response to the government's surprising decision, defiant U.S. social media users have turned to the Chinese-owned app RedNote. The federal ban on the platform was passed over growing concerns about national security.
TikTok Sees End of the Road
The government announced that the ban would be implemented unless TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, sells the app to a buyer approved by the government. Reports indicate that TikTok users may be greeted a modified version of the app starting Sunday.
According to sources who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, TikTok plans to display a pop-up message to users trying to access the app, according to the Reuters. This message will direct them to a website providing details about the ban.
The company also plans to offer users the option to download their data, allowing them to save a record of their personal information.
TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, have not yet responded to requests for comment from Reuters. The news was first reported by The Information.
The government's initial post-Sunday plans for the app would not have removed it from users' devices or caused an immediate blackout. Major mobile providers like Apple and Google would have been banned from supporting TikTok's operations.
This would have included blocking updates, eventually causing the app to become buggy and unusable over time.
Fate Hangs in Balance
Discussions about potential buyers appeared to make little progress until reports surfaced this week that Elon Musk was in negotiations with China to purchase the platform. Sources suggested that Beijing officials were in talks with Trump's tech tycoon ally, but TikTok has rejected the claim, calling it "pure fiction."
A TikTok spokesperson said: "We can't be expected to comment on pure fiction."
With the January 19 deadline set by the U.S. government fast approaching, there are currently no realistic prospects of a sale.
TikTok has requested at least a delay in the ban, arguing that the move would infringe on the First Amendment, which safeguards free speech. The only way the upcoming ban can be blocked is if the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes.
TikTok has about 170 million American users—roughly half the population—and it predicts that a third of its users would abandon the app within a month of the ban taking effect.
In response, many U.S. social media users have been searching for alternatives and are flocking to RedNote, another Chinese-owned app. Although it's currently mostly in Chinese due to its parent company, the app is undergoing changes to make it more accessible to English speakers.