TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has been granted a final opportunity to legally challenge a ban in the U.S.
This year, the U.S. Congress passed a law to force the Chinese-owned ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a nationwide shutdown.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments from the social media platform’s executives and users, in an attempt to have the law overturned.
The hearing is scheduled for 10 January, nine days before the ban is set to take effect.
Context
Social media platform TikTok is owned by China-based ByteDance. It’s used by approximately 170 million Americans — roughly half the country’s population.
The U.S. Government has expressed concerns about the potential sharing of app user data with the Chinese Government.
ByteDance has repeatedly denied these claims.
In April, a bill to ban the app passed Congress with support from both parties, and it became law.
The ban
The law also targets any social and digital media apps operated “directly or indirectly” by ByteDance.
To avoid the ban, ByteDance would have to sell its U.S. operations to a non-Chinese company.
TikTok
A TikTok spokesperson welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to hear its legal challenge.
The company has labelled the legislation “unconstitutional,” arguing that it violates Americans’ rights to “exercise their free speech.”
TikTok has also rejected security concerns, saying it has invested billions of dollars “to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation.”
Trump
In 2020, then-President Donald Trump announced plans to ban TikTok, citing risks to national security.
However, this week, Trump said: “I now have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok.”
Trump falsely claimed he won more votes from young people than rival Kamala Harris, saying: “There are those who say TikTok had something to do with it”.
Trump will officially become President on 20 January, the day after the law is scheduled to take effect.
