According to reports, in anticipation of a potential sale, TikTok is working on a version of its platform exclusively for the U.S. market. The date coincides with growing regulatory pressure from Washington, which has threatened to ban the app nationally due to national security concerns unless Chinese parent firm ByteDance divests TikTok's U.S. operations.

The new U.S.-specific version would be built to be separate from ByteDance’s global infrastructure, making compliance with American legal and regulatory standards more likely. The project is still in its infancy, and being done in secret by a small group inside ByteDance, but does account for possible outcomes, including the transfer or isolation of TikTok’s core code, from ByteDance, its Chinese parent.

While ByteDance fights the U.S. law in court, the preparations indicate that TikTok is serious about the divest-or-ban order. The project may also ease the potential complications of transitioning to a new owner in the U.S., assuming that a sale takes place under pressure from politicians or legal authorities.