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TikTok has warned that it will “go dark” in the US this month if the Supreme Court does not intervene and spare the platform. On Friday (Jan. 10), the country’s highest court heard oral arguments on the social media platform’s future as it faces a January 19 divestment deadline set by a divest-or-ban law.
The government argues that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, poses a national security threat. In response, Congress, with strong support from both parties, passed a law that could lead to TikTok being banned in the US this month unless ByteDance sells the platform.
The law, which gained bipartisan approval last year, was driven by fears that TikTok might be used by Beijing for spying or spreading propaganda. The app is wildly popular among teens and is said to have 170 million US users.
In December, TikTok filed an emergency injunction citing that a ban would “silence the speech of Applicants and the many Americans who use the platform to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other matters of public concern.” It claimed the law violated First Amendment protections for free speech.
Why does the US want to ban TikTok and will Trump save it?
The US government has been posing stringent measures against TikTok for quite a while now. Back in July, ReadWrite reported that the Department of Justice accused the app and its parent company of collecting “bulk” data on American users’ views on sensitive topics like gun control, abortion, and religion—and sending that information to China. Just a few days later, the Justice Department hit them with a lawsuit, claiming they weren’t doing enough to protect children’s privacy on the platform.
During his first term, President-elect Trump pushed to ban or sell TikTok, warning it could give China access to Americans’ data and spread disinformation. But as lawmakers revisited the idea in March, Trump softened his stance, noting TikTok’s value for his 2024 campaign and criticizing Facebook as “an enemy of the people.”
Last week, Trump posted an image of his reach on the site, saying: “Why would I want to get rid of TikTok?” The incoming leader has pledged to “save” the app, without revealing details of his proposal.
Late last month, Trump asked the Supreme Court to hold off on enforcing the TikTok ban, which is set to kick in just a day before his inauguration. If the court or the Biden administration doesn’t step in, tech giants like Apple, Google, and internet hosting providers could face billions in fines for keeping TikTok available after the deadline.
Featured image: Canva
