WASHINGTON: Social media giant TikTok plans to completely shut down its operations in the United States this Sunday if a ban ordered by legislators goes through as planned, a report said.

The ban could come into effect, unless the Supreme Court moves to block it, people familiar with the matter saidThe platform, which counts over 170 million American users, will implement an immediate blackout rather than allowing existing users continued access as had been expected, according to sources who spoke to The Information.

The apparent shutdown comes as TikTok faces a Jan 19 legislative deadline to sever ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance or cease US operations. While the law only requires app stores to remove TikTok and cloud providers to stop hosting US user data, the company will opt for a full suspension of service,The Information said.

Under TikTok`s plan, people attempting to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban, people said. The company also plans to give users an option to download all their data so that they can take a record of their personal information, they said.

Shutting down such services does not require longer planning, one of the sources said, noting that most operations have been continuing as usual as of this week. If the ban gets reversed later, TikTok would be able to restore service for US users in a relatively short time, the source said.

TikTok`s reported plan would follow skeptical questioning from Supreme Court justices during oral arguments last Friday, suggesting they would uphold the ban. The company has challenged the law on First Amendment grounds, which protect free-dom of speech.

The shutdown would coincide with the US presidential transition, as Donald Trump, who has expressed opposition to the ban, takes office on Monday.

President Joe Biden last April signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its US assets by Jan 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban. ByteDance has so far refused to sell TikTok`s US operations, though analysts say this position could shift as the reality of a forced market exit looms.

`Political resolution` Privately held ByteDance is about 60 per cent owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20pc each.

It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States.

Last week, the US Supreme Court seemed inclined to uphold the law, despite calls from President-elect DonaldTrump and lawmakers to extend the deadline.

Trump, whose inauguration comes the day after the law goes into effect, has said he should have time after taking office to pursue a `political resolution` of the issue.

TikTok and ByteDance have sought, at the very least, a delay in the implementation of the law, which they say violates the US Constitution`s First Amendment protection against government abridgment of free speech.

TikTok said in a court filing last month it estimated onethird of the 170 million Americans using its app would stop accessing the platform if the ban lasted a month.

In an internal email obtained by The Verge on Tuesday, TikTok assured its US employees that their `employment, pay, and benefits are secure`andofficeswillremain open even if the situation remains unresolved by Sunday`s deadline.-Agencies