Today (January 17), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold the controversial ban of Chinese video app TikTok. This means the law is expected to go into effect on Sunday as planned unless the app's parent company, ByteDance, sells it to an American company. So far, they've refused to sell the app, suggesting that many U.S. users could lose access to it over the weekend. CNBC notes that TikTok could continue to work for those who already have it downloaded. ByteDance, however, has also threatened to shut the app down.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the Supreme Court said today. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
TikTok Ban Could Go Into Effect This Sunday
The Supreme Court added that while "data collection and analysis is a common practice in this digital age," TikTok's size and “susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects” makes it a national security concern. Now, it's up to President-elect Donald Trump to determine the fate of TikTok in the U.S. He's scheduled to take office on January 20. Back in December, Trump asked the Supreme Court to delay the implementation of the law in order to give his administration “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case.“
ABC News reported earlier this week that Joe Biden's administration doesn't plan to enforce the law. "Our position on this has been clear: TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership. Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before the inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement," a White House official explained to the outlet.
