PANews reported on January 15 that TikTok plans to shut down its app when the US federal ban takes effect (this Sunday) unless the Supreme Court intervenes to stop it. This move is different from the legal requirement of only banning new downloads. TikTok will directly stop all US users from using it. Users will see a prompt message when they open the app and can choose to download personal data.
TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have not yet responded to requests for comment. In April last year, US President Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its US assets by January 19, 2025, otherwise it will face a nationwide ban. TikTok said that if the ban lasts for a month, it expects one-third of its 170 million US users to stop using the platform.
