According to sources, TikTok is threatening to shut down its app for US users this Sunday if a federal ban goes into effect.
Sunday is the deadline for TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, to sell its US assets or be pulled from US app stores due to concerns over the app’s links to the communist Chinese government.
Under that ban, Americans would still be able to use the app, but new downloads would be blocked, and its software would slowly degrade over time due to a lack of updates.
However, TikTok insiders have said they are prepared to shut the entire app down to all 150 million American users in protest if the ban is upheld.
According to Reuters, under the shutdown, people attempting to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban.
The company also plans to give users an option to download all their data so that they can take a record of their personal information, they said.
One source said that shutting down such services does not require extensive planning, noting that as of this week, most operations have continued as usual.
The source said that if the ban is reversed later, TikTok could restore service for US users relatively quickly.
Under the law banning the app, users would face different consequences.
Khaby Lame is the world’s most followed person on TikTok, with more than 162 million followers. He makes roughly $259,000 per post.
Charli D’Amelio has the second-largest following on the platform, with more than 155 million followers, raking in about $247,000 per video.
Mr. Beast is the third most followed TikTok creator, with over 106 million followers. Each video earns him roughly $152,000.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which has more than 7,000 employees in the US.
