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Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban Days Before App Goes Dark

Unless China-based parent company ByteDance sells the app to an American buyer, the ban will take effect on Sunday.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court upheld a law set to ban the popular social media app TikTok in less than 48 hours.

The court’s ruling was unanimous, with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor and conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch writing concurring opinions.

“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the ruling states. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”

“For the foregoing Per Curiam reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights. The judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is affirmed,” it continued.

Unless China-based parent company ByteDance sells the app to an American buyer, the ban will take effect on Sunday, the day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump, who opposed the ban in his first term, has said he will look to reverse it.

“The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”

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The White House released a statement following the ruling, saying the incoming Trump administration will have to make the decision on the app’s future.

“TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said after the ruling.

“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday,” Jean-Pierre added.

Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement supporting the decision.

“The Court’s decision enables the Justice Department to prevent the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to undermine America’s national security. Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to millions of Americans’ sensitive data. The Court’s decision affirms that this Act protects the national security of the United States in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution,” he said.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will attend Trump’s inauguration and thanked Trump for his support of TikTok in a video message.

“I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States. This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship,” he said.

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Trump said he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday morning with TikTok being one of the topics they discussed.

Stephen Anderson
Written By

Stephen Anderson is FWRD AXIS' Co-founder and Chief Political Reporter based in the United States.

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