TikTok is preparing to shut down its platform in the United States on Sunday.Image: www.imago-images.de
TikTok plans to shut down its platform on Sunday in the United States, exceeding initial legal requirements.
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TikTok is preparing to shut down its platform on Sunday in the United States. This goes further than the requirements of the law passed in the American Congress, which was only intended to prevent its downloading in the country, the site reported on Wednesday. The Information.
Requested by AFP, the social network did not respond.
From Sunday, users who have already downloaded the application will no longer be able to open it and will be automatically directed to a message relating to the new legislative provisions, according to The Information.
They will be offered to download their data and content published on the platform.
What happened?
In April 2024, Congress adopted a text forcing TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its American activities by January 19, under penalty of banning the social network in the United States.
The law plans, if executed, to oblige internet providers and application stores to prevent TikTok from being downloaded after the deadline.
Fear of China
American elected officials justified the vote on this law by fears of seeing the data and content of American users exploited by the Chinese authorities, suspected of using the platform as a spying tool.
TikTok and ByteDance have always refuted having granted access to the social network’s data to the Chinese government and assured that they never received a request to this effect.
ByteDance has so far systematically refused to sell TikTok, even if several American investors have positioned themselves, first and foremost businessman Frank McCourt, ready to put $20 billion on the table.
TikTok appealed to the Supreme Court in December to invalidate the law. The decision from the highest American court is expected any day now.
President-elect Donald Trump asked the senior judges to postpone their decision, saying he was able to find a favorable outcome to the case, which would preserve TikTok.
In an internal message sent to TikTok teams and published by the site The Vergemanagement indicated that it was “preparing for several scenarios.”
She also assured the group’s American employees that “their jobs, salaries and benefits” would be preserved whatever path TikTok chose. (jah/ats)
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