WASHINGTON, Jan 15: TikTok faces an imminent shutdown in the United States after Congress passed a law last year forcing its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell the platform or close it by Sunday.
The US Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on TikTok's challenge to the law.
Following a hearing last Friday, expectations are high that the law will stand.
Here is a review of what could happen next for TikTok in the United States.
Under a ban, the US government would first direct Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, preventing new downloads as early as Sunday, a day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
However, the app would remain on the phones of the existing 170 million US users unless TikTok directly blocks their access.
Although TikTok lawyer Noel Francisco stated the site would "go dark" on Sunday if the justices fail to block the ban, many observers doubt ByteDance would unilaterally hit the off switch for American users. —AFP
