TikTok's Fate: With Less Than a Week Until the Ban, Here's What We Know

 

 

Supreme Court Considers TikTok Ban Amid Looming Deadline 

 

On Friday, the Supreme Court heard two-and-a-half hours of arguments on whether TikTok can be banned in the United States within the next week. By the end of the session, the justices appeared inclined to permit the U.S. government to force TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or cease operations in the country.

Last spring, President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban, citing national security concerns. TikTok is seeking to delay enforcement of the law, scheduled for Jan. 19, arguing that it violates the First Amendment's protection against government interference with free speech.

If the ban takes effect on Sunday, Apple and Google would no longer offer TikTok for download to new users. Existing users could still access the app, but without updates or support services, it would degrade and eventually become unusable.

Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump is set to be sworn in on Jan. 20, one day after the potential ban. In late December, Trump requested the Supreme Court to delay the Jan. 19 deadline, arguing his incoming administration should have the opportunity to seek a political resolution to the case.

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