(Reuters) – TikTok plans to block users in the United States from using its app from Sunday, when a federal ban could take effect unless the Supreme Court moves to block it, sources familiar with the matter said. subject.
The result of the measure would be different from that determined by law. The legislation only bans new downloads of TikTok from Apple or Google’s app stores, while existing users could continue to use it for some time.
Under TikTok’s plan, people who try to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the matter is not public.
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The company also plans to offer users the option to download all their data so they can record their personal information, they said.
TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. The Information first reported the news.
Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutional investors such as Blackrock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20% each. The company has more than 7,000 employees in the US.
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In April last year, President Joe Biden signed into law a law requiring ByteDance to sell its US assets by January 19, 2025 or face a nationwide ban.
Last week, the Supreme Court appeared inclined to uphold the law, despite calls from President-elect Donald Trump and lawmakers to extend the deadline.
Trump, whose inauguration takes place the day after the law came into force, said he should have time, after taking office, to seek a “political resolution” to the issue.
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TikTok and ByteDance sought, at a minimum, a delay in implementing the law, which they say violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protection against government restriction of free speech.
TikTok said in a court filing last month that it estimates a third of the 170 million Americans who use its app would stop accessing the platform if the ban lasts for a month.