TikTok prepares for shutdown in US this Sunday. What does it mean?

TikTok is planning to shut down the app for US users on the coming Sunday when the conditional federal ban comes into effect, The Information reported.

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US President Joe Biden signed a new law in April 2024 which states that the app would have to be sold off from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or it would face a nationwide ban in the US.

If TikTok does get shut down in the US, people there may not be able to download the app. Those who already have the app may be able to continue using it for some time.

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TikTok’s plan was for people attempting to open the app to see a pop-up message which directs them to a website with details about the ban, the report said.

TikTok also plans to give users the option of being able to download all their data, so that they can have a record of their personal information.

The company has sought at least a delay in the law’s implementation, claiming that it violates the US constitution’s First Amendment protection against government abridgment of free speech.

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TikTok claimed in a court filing that an estimated one-third of the 170 million Americans who use the app would stop doing so if the ban lasts over a month, according to the report.