Massive social media app TikTok could be banned in the US unless its Chinese parent company sells it in within the week. At the time of writing, the app remains active in the United States.
Following decisions by Congress and the Supreme Court, Chinese-owned ByteDance has until 19 January to sell TikTok. If it fails to do so, a nationwide ban is set to come into force – despite having 170 million US users.
President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Court to delay its decision while he seeks a “political” solution. However, his second term will not begin until the day after the ban is scheduled to start.
In April 2024, Congress passed a bill giving ByteDance nine months to find a US-approved buyer. The bill was signed into law by president Joe Biden.
Lawmakers and officials says the company has links to the Chinese Communist Party, prompting concern that it could be forced to hand over data about American users to Beijing. The Justice Department has said that TikTok poses “a national-security threat of immense depth and scale”.
TikTok and ByteDance have strongly denied the allegations. Both have fielded several legal challenges against the bill, saying that it is “unconstitutional” for the implications it would have on the First Amendement.
The Supreme Court heard a final plea by TikTok’s lawyers on Friday, asking for the ban to be overturned, with owners saying even a temporary ban would have “devastating effects” on their business.
Trump may seek to reverse the ban once he assumes office, meaning it could potentially be quite short-lived. Although the he tried to ban the app himself in 2020 during his first presidency, he has now called on the Supreme Court to delay the upcoming ban.
His lawyer has filed a legal brief saying that Mr Trump “opposes banning TikTok” and is looking to find a solutions “through political means once he takes office”. The president-elect also met with TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew in December.
But he will not assume office until 20 January, while the app is set to be banned on the 19th. A lawyer representing TikTok have said if the law is not suddenly changed before then, the app will simply “go dark” for its millions of US users.
