TikTok announced late Friday that its 170 million U.S. users on Sunday will be forced to use the service as it faces a U.S. ban over concerns that its Chinese ownership poses a threat to national security. announced that it would be suspended.
“Unfortunately, TikTok will be forced into a blackout on January 19th unless the Biden administration assures companies like Apple and Google that they will not be penalized for offering TikTok services in the United States,” the company said in a statement. “It will be done,” he said.
The statement was TikTok's latest attempt to pressure the administration to grant a reprieve from the law, which was upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday and effectively bans the service starting Sunday.
The law says app stores and major cloud computing providers cannot offer TikTok to U.S. consumers unless Chinese parent company ByteDance sells TikTok to a non-Chinese owner.
TikTok has not provided any details about what will happen on Sunday, including whether it will shut down voluntarily or simply cease functioning because it will no longer have access to the services it needs to stay online.
The Biden administration had previously indicated that federal authorities would not immediately take action against Apple, Google or other companies under the law.
President Biden signed the TikTok ban into law in April after it passed Congress with bipartisan support. Lawmakers said the Chinese government could pressure ByteDance to extract sensitive data on U.S. users or influence TikTok content to suit Beijing's interests.
TikTok said the Chinese government had no role in the company and spent billions of dollars to address U.S. security concerns. ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing and controlled in China.
On Friday, the Supreme Court accepted the government's national security rationale for the law, with the majority opinion noting “TikTok's size and vulnerability to control of foreign adversaries, and the vast amount of sensitive data the platform collects.” .
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement after the Supreme Court's ruling that the process would proceed “over time.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said enforcement of the law would fall to the incoming Trump administration, which takes office on Monday.
TikTok said these comments are not enough to satisfy other companies that they are not breaking the law by continuing to distribute and maintain the app. These companies could be fined up to $5,000 for each TikTok user who accesses the app in the United States after the ban goes into effect.
“The statement issued today by President Biden and the Department of Justice fails to provide the clarity and assurances needed by essential service providers to make TikTok available to more than 170 million Americans.” said.
The loss in its user base will be significant, but it's not as if the biggest TikTok has suffered. In 2020, it was banned in India, where it had 200 million users. Like the United States, Indian authorities cited national security concerns for their decision on TikTok.
President-elect Donald J. Trump has expressed support for TikTok, but it is unclear how his administration will proceed on the issue. He said on social media that the Supreme Court's ruling should be respected.
“My decision regarding TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future,” Trump said, but added, “I need time to review the situation.”
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