The TikTok rejection threatens more than $11 billion in advertising investment in the United State

Advertisers who rely on TikTok as a vital digital marketing tool hurried this week to create backup plans, fearing that the popular Chinese-owned social networking app would not be salvaged before a U.S. ban takes effect on Sunday.

One marketing executive described the situation as a «total alarm» for the advertising sector, after months of expecting a solution to keep the short-form video app operational.

ByteDance, a Chinese internet firm, faces a Jan. 19 deadline to sell TikTok’s US assets or accept an unprecedented ban on the app, which is used by 170 million Americans, for national security reasons.

TikTok intends to close its U.S. operations on Sunday unless it wins a last-minute reprieve, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming national security adviser stated that the new administration intends to pursue measures «to prevent TikTok from disappearing,» although it is unclear whether Trump, who takes office on Monday, can legally do so.