In December, US President Donald Trump was elected asked the court to postpone the decision until he returns to the White House to allow him to seek a “political solution” to the problems.
TikTok’s lawyer told the court on Friday that he saw the platform “going dark” on January 19 without intervention.
Ms. Prelogar, speaking for the US Department of Justice, said that “nothing permanent” should happen that day and there was still time for the sale.
She said that the forced shutdown of the program could be just the “push” that ByteDance should seriously consider selling.
“This will fundamentally change the landscape of what ByteDance can consider,” she said, likening the situation to a “game of chicken” and one in which the U.S. should not “blink first.”
The judges will now consider their decision. A decision is expected in the coming days.
More than a hundred people braved the cold in Washington to attend the hearing in person.
Danielle Ballesteros, a student at UC San Diego, said she had been waiting outside the courthouse since 6:30 a.m. local time.
“I feel like TikTok doesn’t deserve to be banned,” she told BBC News.
Admitting she uses it “probably too much,” she said she considers the app an important source of news for her generation.
