TikTok has said it will shut down its social network TikTok from Sunday unless the US government gives it assurances that it will not take action against businesses that provide services to the company in the US.
The move comes after the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling that would ban TikTok from being used nationwide starting Sunday, January 19, unless it sells it to a US-owned company.
Starting tomorrow, the Apple and Google app stores, where the TikTok app is available, will have to pay a fine of $5,000 for every download of the TikTok app. Oracle, which stores TikTok user data in the US in the cloud, will also face legal action if it fails to comply with the ban.
TikTok is asking the US government for assurances that it will not take action against those businesses despite the ban. TikTok said Friday night that it would shut down TikTok on Sunday, effectively shutting down all 170 million U.S. users who rely on TikTok for business, and that the government’s rule is being criticized by U.S. consumers.
The White House has said it can delay the law by 90 days if TikTok is considering selling to a U.S. company, but TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has said it cannot sell.
Donald Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, said he discussed TikTok with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. He wrote on his Truth Social media account that he would consider a bill to ban TikTok nationwide.
Trump said he believed that TikTok’s ability to attract young voters helped him win the election, and that he would like to see TikTok remain open.