TikTok is heading towards a shutdown in the United States on Sunday when the deadline expires for the platform’s Chinese owner ByteDance to either divest ownership or cease operations.Beijing-based ByteDance was given the ultimatum in April when US President Joe Biden signed into law the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA).
As the ban draws closer, US officials have signalled that a reprieve could be in the works for the app, which is used by 170 million Americans.
Separately, a legal case is before the Supreme Court, where TikTok is challenging the ban on the grounds that it violates freedom of speech.
Apart from the impact a ban would have on millions of users, TikTok’s fate is being closely watched because it could set a precedent for how the US deals with other apps owned by China and other foreign adversaries, such as CapCut, Xiaohongshu, Lemon8, Alipay and WeChat.
What happens on Sunday if the ban goes forward?
If nothing changes by the weekend, TikTok will be removed from US app stores on Sunday, while US tech companies will be prohibited from hosting, distributing, maintaining or updating the app. Advertisement
Over time, the lack of updates would render the app unusable for existing users.
Sources have told media outlets that users who try to access TikTok from Sunday will be dir …
