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Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban
In a long-awaited decision, the Supreme Court has upheld the law that will effectively ban TikTok in the United States. The ruling marks the end of the months-long legal battle between the popular social media app and the US government.
As of Sunday, January 19, it will be illegal for app stores and internet hosting services to distribute the social network. TikTok had pleaded its case before the nation’s highest court, arguing that the law conflicts with the First Amendment, and that the social network needed extra time to allow President-elect Donald Trump to act to save the app.
However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) countered by stating that the law does not violate the First Amendment because it does not aim to regulate free speech on the platform or its algorithm. The DOJ also emphasized that the Chinese government could compel ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to secretly turn over the data of millions of Americans.
Throughout the legal battle, TikTok argued that divesting the app’s US operations would be impossible because China would prevent the export of the social network’s algorithm. The company also claimed that TikTok would be a fundamentally different service with a different algorithm.
President Biden signed the sell-or-ban law back in April 2024. The bill followed years of allegations from the US government that TikTok’s ties to China pose a national security risk and that it exposes Americans’ sensitive information to the Chinese government.
The ban will take effect this Sunday, leaving many wondering what exactly will happen once the ban takes effect.
Source: techcrunch.com
