Some countries have banned TikTok on government-owned devices due to the risk of data collection and security risks. This includes Australia, Estonia, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan, as well as the EU.

With a TikTok ban set to come into effect in the US on Sunday, the app faces an uncertain future stateside. According to Sky News, it was ruled by the US Supreme Court that from Sunday (19 January), TikTok will be removed from Google and Android stores if it is not sold by it's parent company - leaving many Americans without access to the app.

ByteDance has so far rebuffed the idea of selling TikTok. But the lawyer for the US government told the Supreme Court that a ban might be just the “jolt” needed to persuade it to consider the idea, noting that restrictions could be lifted once a deal materialises.

In an interview with NBC News, Trump said he was considering issuing a 90-day extension to the deadline. His comments come one day after TikTok warned that its 170mn users would face an imminent blackout after the Supreme Court on Friday upheld the divest-or-ban law that Congress passed last year to address China-related national security concerns.