TikTok said late Friday that its service will “go dark” on Sunday for its 170 million American users due to a ban in the United States over concerns that its Chinese ownership poses a threat to national security.
The company said in a statement that “unfortunately, TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19” unless the Biden administration assures Apple, Google and other companies that they will not be punished for providing TikTok services in the United States.
The statement was TikTok’s latest attempt to pressure the administration to grant it an extension from a law, upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, that would effectively ban its service starting Sunday.
The law states that app stores and major cloud computing providers cannot provide TikTok to U.S. consumers unless the company is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to a non-Chinese owner.
TikTok provided no details about what would happen Sunday, including whether it would voluntarily shut down or simply stop working because it would lose access to the services it needs to stay online.
The Biden administration had previously signaled that federal officials would not immediately take action against Apple, Google and other companies required by the law.
President Biden signed the TikTok ban bill into law in April after passing it through Congress with bipartisan support. Lawmakers said Beijing could pressure ByteDance to mine sensitive data on American users or influence TikTok’s content to serve the Chinese government’s interests.
TikTok has said the Chinese government has no role in the company and that it has spent billions of dollars to address U.S. security concerns. ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing and subject to Chinese control.
On Friday, the Supreme Court accepted the government’s national security rationale behind the law, with the majority opinion pointing to TikTok’s “size and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, along with the vast array of sensitive data collected by the platform.” .
Lisa Monaco, deputy attorney general, said in a statement after the Supreme Court ruling that the trial will take place “over time.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said enforcement of the law would be up to the incoming Trump administration, which takes office on Monday.
TikTok said such comments were not enough to convince other companies that they would not run afoul of the law if they continued to distribute and maintain the app. These companies could face fines of up to $5,000 for each TikTok user who accesses the app in the United States after the ban goes into effect.
“The statements released today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers who are integral to maintaining the availability of TikTok for more than 170 million Americans,” he said the company.
The loss of that user base would be significant, but it’s not the largest TikTok has ever suffered. In 2020, it was banned in India, where it had 200 million users. As in the United States, authorities in India cited national security concerns in their decision against TikTok.
President-elect Donald J. Trump has indicated his support for TikTok, but it is unclear how his administration will proceed on the issue. He said on social media that the Supreme Court ruling must be respected.
“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future,” Trump said, “but I need to have time to review the situation.”