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The United States Supreme Court on Friday upheld a ruling that could pave the way the US ban of TikTok to start working as soon as Sunday.
The law, signed by President Joe Biden last year, would successfully banning the program in the US if the Chinese parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, does not sell to a buyer deemed suitable by the US authorities by January 19. TikTok filed a lawsuit, saying that it violated the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech for the company and 170 of TikTok. million users in the US.
The jury was not persuaded by that argument. In his own the decision, the Supreme Court said that although TikTok is a “unique and widespread means of expression, means of communication, and a source of people,” Congress has determined that the sale must “address its national security concerns that TikTok collects data and relations with a foreign enemy.”
“For the reasons stated above, we find that the impugned provisions do not violate the rights of the petitioners,” the court said.
TikTok did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the court’s decision would allow the Justice Department to stop the Chinese government from “using TikTok to undermine America’s national security.”
“Authoritarian governments should not have access to millions of Americans,” Garland said in a Justice Department statement.
TikTok’s lawyers are the US government pleaded their case in oral arguments before the court last weekend, pitting First Amendment concerns against national security concerns. Based on the questions and comments the jurors gave over the course of more than two hours, it appears that they were more concerned with the government’s claim that the case is not about free speech and instead about the dangers it poses. and foreign enemies, in this case China.
Read more: Downloading, Trump and VPNs: Everything You Need to Know About the TikTok Ban
Lawmakers from both parties have complained that TikTok could be a national security threat and could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans or spread disinformation to advance China’s agenda.
TikTok continues to deny these allegations. Ahead of last year’s congressional vote, TikTok encouraged its US usersthey are asking them to encourage their representatives on Capitol Hill to vote for the ban. But the measure passed by wide margins in both chambers of Congress.
It is still unclear what will happen to TikTok in the next few days and beyond.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a DOJ statement that the next phase of the department’s efforts to end TikTok’s ties to China, which will include implementing and enforcing the law when it takes effect Sunday, “will be a process that plays out over time.”
White House released a statement on Friday saying that Biden on TikTok has not changed. He still believes that TikTok should remain available to the American public, but under ownership that meets government security concerns.
“Considering the timing, the commission realizes that the implementation of the law should fall to the next government, which will come into force on Monday,” he said.
Thursday, a A Biden administration official said ABC News that the White House does not plan to introduce legislation in the days remaining before Donald Trump is sworn in as president on Monday, Jan. 20.
Trump, who pushed for a ban during his first term, now says he doesn’t favor one. In late December, Trump’s lawyers wrote an amicus brief in the case. They did not take part but instead asked the court to delay the ban to give Trump time to bring about a “political decision.”
