"TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access. TikTok's biggest investors come from the US. We are committed to protecting our users' privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.

TikTok's US General Manager Vanessa Pappas also defended the app in a video statement on Saturday. "We're not planning on going anywhere," Pappas said in the video, adding that the company plans to add 10,000 American jobs to its 1,500 workforce over the next three years.

If the app was actually shut down, critics have raised concerns that it would challenge the values that Americans hold dear, such as freedom of speech.

"Banning an app like TikTok, which millions of Americans use to communicate with each other, is a danger to free expression and technologically impractical," the American Civil Liberties Unionsaid.

"To truly address privacy concerns with companies like TikTok, Congress must ensure that ANY company that services US consumers cannot hand over our data to any government without a warrant or equivalent. Letting the president selectively ban platforms isn't the solution," the organizationsaid.