The US Supreme Court has upheld a law mandating a nationwide ban on TikTok unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells the platform by this Sunday. Reports Technology News
TikTok had contested the law, claiming it infringes on the free speech rights of its more than 170 million US users. However, the Supreme Court rejected this argument, leaving TikTok with the choice of finding an approved buyer for its US operations or facing removal from app stores and web hosting services.
Meanwhile, discussions between the outgoing Biden administration and incoming President Donald Trump aim to find a potential reprieve for the platform, which US officials have flagged as a national security concern.
Last year, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers voted to ban the video-sharing app, citing concerns about its ties to the Chinese government. TikTok, however, has consistently denied sharing user data with Beijing.
Under the law, ByteDance has until January 19 to transfer ownership of TikTok’s US operations to a neutral entity to avoid an outright ban. If no deal is reached, Apple and Google will stop offering the app to new users and cease providing security updates, potentially leading to TikTok’s eventual decline in the US.