Reports indicate that TikTok is gearing up to close its widely-used short-video app for its millions of American users if a federal ban is enforced this Sunday.

Sunday marks the end of the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to either divest its U.S. assets or face a countrywide ban, unless the Supreme Court intervenes. While a ban would remove TikTok from app stores, the company seems to be preparing additional measures that aren’t legally mandated.

If the nationwide ban is upheld as planned, TikTok expects to deactivate the app in the U.S., as informed sources told Reuters. The Information was the first to report this update.

This situation arises after indications from the Supreme Court suggesting support for a national security law signed by President Joe Biden last spring, even though President-elect Donald Trump and various lawmakers are pursuing an extension of the Sunday deadline.

Here’s what you should understand regarding the ban and TikTok’s reported course of action.

What will happen to the TikTok app on users’ devices?

Under TikTok’s strategy, users trying to access the app will receive a pop-up message directing them to a webpage with details about the ban, as reported by Reuters, referencing anonymous sources familiar with the topic.

The company is also preparing to allow users to download all of their data to keep a record of their personal information, according to these sources.

YSL News contacted TikTok on Wednesday for additional information about the proposed plan, which differs from what would be legally required.

Legally, a ban on TikTok would mean that new downloads from platforms like Apple and Google would be disallowed. Existing users could still use the app, but they would unable to receive updates, which would likely lead to functional issues over time.

Trump and other lawmakers fight against TikTok ban deadline

Some lawmakers are pressing Biden and the Supreme Court to take action to prevent TikTok from being banned this Sunday.

On Monday, Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass, announced his intention to introduce a bill that would postpone the January 19 deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok by an additional 270 days.

“TikTok creators and users across the nation are understandably alarmed about the uncertainty surrounding the future of the platform, their accounts, and the active online communities they’ve built,” Markey stated. “These communities are unique and cannot be replicated on other platforms. A ban would dismantle a distinct cultural and informational ecosystem, silencing millions in the process.”

Markey has also joined Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Representative Ro Khanna, D-Calif., in submitting a bipartisan brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s ruling that upheld the TikTok ban. In this brief, the lawmakers contended that “there are less extreme measures available that could effectively address data security concerns without infringing on constitutional rights.”

“A TikTok ban not only infringes on the free speech rights of millions of Americans, but it also threatens the livelihoods of creators and small business owners utilizing the app,” Khanna stated. “We need to implement laws to safeguard Americans’ data, but banning TikTok is not the solution.”

Trump has also called on the Supreme Court to extend the deadline, granting his administration time after taking office on January 20 to seek a political resolution.

What will happen to TikTok workers in the U.S.?

Despite the impending ban and TikTok’s strategy to close the app, it seems that the jobs of its 7,000 U.S. employees are secure.

TikTok intends to continue compensating its U.S. workforce even if the Supreme Court does not overturn the law mandating the sale of the app in the U.S., based on an internal memo reviewed Tuesday by Reuters that was sent out by the company’s leadership.

“I want to emphasize that your wellbeing is our top priority. Most importantly, I want to assure you that as U.S. employees, your jobs, pay, and benefits are assured and our offices will remain operational, even if this situation is unresolved by the January 19 deadline,” the memo conveyed to TikTok workers stated.

“The legislation is not structured in a way that impacts the entities through which you are employed, but only the user experience in the U.S.,” the company added.

Eric Lagatta reports on breaking and trending news.