On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld a regulation prohibiting TikTok from being sold in the United States based on national security if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, does not sell it. This puts the popular short-video app on track to be discontinued in two days.
The social media site, along with its 170 million users in the United States, is now uncertain due to the decision made by the court, which was unanimously 9-0. The destiny of TikTok is now in the hands of Donald Trump, who has pledged to save the platform after he returns to the presidency on Monday.
Even though the bill was approved by an overwhelming majority of members from both parties in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, an increasing number of lawmakers who voted in favour of it are now attempting to prevent TikTok from continuing to operate in the United States for the time being.
TikTok, ByteDance, and a few of the app’s users filed a case against the law; however, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the regulation did not violate the First Amendment protection against the government’s abridgement of free speech, as the challengers had asserted.
ByteDance has not exerted much effort to sell itself off TikTok by the Sunday deadline mandated by the law.
The app may only be unavailable for a short period. In 2020, President Trump attempted to ban it, but he has stated that he intends to take measures to save it.
I will choose This Platform at some point in the future, but I need to evaluate the current circumstances. Keep an eye out!” Mr. Trump stated this in a social media message.
On Monday, the second inauguration of Donald Trump will take place in Washington, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew intends to be present.
Chew issued a statement reiterating the company’s assertions regarding the right to free expression. I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States. ”
President Trump stated that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a phone chat on Friday addressing TikTok.
Vice President Joe Biden’s administration indicates a reluctance to enforce the law out of respect for Donald Trump’s incoming administration, which raises the possibility that TikTok may remain operational Sunday.
On the other hand, it is not entirely clear whether this would be sufficient to persuade Apple (AAPL.O), Alphabet (GOOGL.O), Google, Oracle (ORCL.N), and other companies to continue providing TikTok with essential services.
