TikTok is planning to shut down its app for users in the US on Sunday, the same day the federal ban comes into effect, The Information reported. The shutdown of the short-video app would mean that 170 million users in the US would no longer be able to access it.
The Information report notes that TikTok plans to display a pop-up banner directing users to a website with more information about the ban.
Is TikTok getting banned in the US?
Not just yet. However, TikTok may be banned across the United States from January 19, just ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
The US government passed a law last year that forced TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either sell the wildly popular platform or shut it down. The law takes effect Sunday.
According to reports, the Supreme Court seems likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the US beginning January 19 — unless its China-based parent company sells the popular social media app.
ByteDance Ltd’s TikTok faces a deadline of January 19 to find a US buyer in order to continue operating in the country.
Why does US want to ban TikTok?
TikTok is currently owned by ByteDance, a China-based company. Since it belongs to a Chinese company, the Supreme Court warned that the app should be banned on national security grounds.
The Supreme Court’s Chief Justice, John Roberts, said his main concern was “TikTok’s ownership by China-based ByteDance and the parent company’s requirement to cooperate with the Chinese government’s intelligence operations,” the Associated Press reported.
The US government alleged TikTok allows China to collect data and spy on users and is a conduit to spread propaganda. Justice Brett Kavanaugh raised US concerns about China accessing information on tens of millions of Americans, especially teenagers and people in their 20s, with whom TikTok is extremely popular.
Is someone buying TikTok?
Reportedly, some investors have been eyeing to buy TikTok including Donald Trump’s Former Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and billionaire businessman Frank McCourt.
According to a Bloomberg report, Chinese government officials are interested in Elon Musk buying the platform and running it an tandem with X (formerly Twitter).
