The US Supreme Court has upheld a bipartisan law that could lead to a ban on TikTok, a decision with far-reaching implications for the Chinese-owned social media giant.
The law, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, cites “national security” concerns over Beijing’s potential access to American user data through TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.
The ruling comes amidst political uncertainty, as outgoing President Joe Biden, who supported the legislation, has deferred its enforcement to his successor.
TikTok, with 170 million US users, has pushed back against the law, claiming it violates free speech rights and insisting that its operations cannot be separated from ByteDance due to shared technology and intellectual property.
President-elect Donald Trump, once a staunch advocate for banning TikTok, has recently softened his stance, even engaging in discussions with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump has requested a delay in implementing the law until his administration begins on Monday, leaving TikTok’s future uncertain.
While ByteDance has threatened to shut down the platform in the US if the law is enforced, the Supreme Court expressed skepticism over its arguments for free speech protections.
Image credit: Jonathan Kemper
I agree, exposing criminal activity including fraud, money laundering, false claims like they have weapons of mass destruction and child rape from our respective governments can be problematic for our politicians. But that is no reason to end that form of communication in this free world.
I would argue arresting and placing these politicians in front of a jury to decide their fate would lead to a better and more financially secure future for everyone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WxdaU9AsnU
To be fair if Tik Tok was banned from the US a new US service would spring up almost immediately from another startup or an existing company such as Meta or even X.