A protester holds a sign in support of TikTok in front of the US Supreme Court on January 10, 2025
Allison Robbert/The Washington Post/Getty Images
The US Supreme Court has hold on The ban on the popular video streaming app TikTok that will come into effect on January 19.
The forbid It will require US companies to block users from accessing or updating TikTok through app stores or internet browsers unless ByteDance, the app’s Chinese parent company, sells it to a US company by January 19.
The Supreme Court began hearing TikTok’s challenge to the law on January 10, arguing that it violates the US Constitution’s protection of free speech. On the same day, the court heard arguments in a related case: a legal adviser representing TikTok content creators argued that a ban also violates those people’s constitutional rights.
But the US attorney general, Elizabeth Prelogar, argued that the TikTok ban is about preventing foreign espionage, as opposed to curtailing free speech. The US government’s case is that the Chinese government can use TikTok to collect sensitive personal data from hundreds of millions of people in the US, which it can then use against them.
The Supreme Court unanimously agreed with the government’s argument, ruling against TikTok and individual creators in both cases. “Undoubtedly, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok provides a distinctive and pervasive source of expression, engagement, and community. But Congress has determined that divestment is necessary in the face of national security concerns about TikTok’s data collection practices and engagement with a foreign adversary.” to do,” says the opinion.
TikTok will shut down its app for US users on the same day the ban takes effect, January 19. According to Reuters. But this may not be the last twist in the legal drama.
US President Joe Biden will leave office on January 20, the day after the ban begins. An official in his administration has stated that Biden will not comply with the law, According to AP News. Instead, the strength of the ban depends on the actions of the next administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump initially supported it on TikTok during his first term as president, but has since changed his stance, favoring allowing the platform to continue its US operations. After taking office on January 20, he can ask members of parliament to repeal or amend the law or order the government not to comply.
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