TikTok is set to shut down its access to US users on Sunday, due to the federal ban, unless the Supreme Court rules otherwise. The US government calls TikTok a threat due to possible data exploitation by China.
TikTok getting ready to close Sunday its access to American userswhen it comes into force the federal ban which hits social media app, unless otherwise decided by the Supreme Court of the United States, said sources close to the matter confirming an article from the media The Information.
If the legislation passed by Congress provides that the application will no longer be downloadable in the future, therefore leaving current users free to use it for a while longer.TikTok took a different approach by redirecting users to a website explaining the reasons for its suspension, said the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Retain data
The company also plans to give users the option to download all their data so they can keep a record of their personal information, these sources also said.
One of them told Reuters that closing the service did not require extensive preparatory work. And if the Supreme Court were to lift the ban on TikTok, it would take little time for it to be reinstated, she added.
TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. ByteDance is a private company 60% owned by institutional investors such as Blackrock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees each own 20%. It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States. According to the US Department of Justice,
Violation of Americans’ freedom of speech
TikTok poses a serious threat to national security because of its access to vast personal data of Americans, potentially exploitable by the Chinese government. TikTok denies having shared or wants to share the data of its American users.
In April, President Joe Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to divest its assets in the United States by January 19 or face being banned in the country. TikTok and ByteDance argue that the law is unconstitutional and violates Americans’ right to free speech.
They call it “a radical departure from this country’s tradition of championing an open Internet.” Donald Trump, president-elect of the United States, tried in vain to ban TikTok during his first term in 2020, before reversing his decision during his presidential campaign in view of the November 5 election, insisting that he would oppose banning TikTok.
The impact of this social network with controversial algorithms is also closely scrutinized by the European authorities who have opened an investigation against it, accusing it of electoral interference, notably during the presidential elections organized in Romania last November.
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