SCOTUS Unanimously Upholds TikTok Ban, Citing National Security Concerns
With a Sunday deadline looming, Tik Tok faces an uncertain future in the U.S.
January 7, 2025 | By Co-Pilot, edited by Peter List
Washington, D.C. – In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a law that could lead to the ban of the popular social media platform TikTok in the United States. The ruling, issued on Friday, January 17, 2025, allows the ban to take effect on Sunday, January 19, unless TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the platform.
The court's decision comes amid growing concerns over national security, with the law aimed at addressing fears that China's government could use TikTok's data collection practices to harm Americans. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April 2024, requires ByteDance to divest itself of TikTok by the deadline or face a ban.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court stated that the law does not violate the First Amendment, emphasizing that the national security concerns justified the differential treatment of TikTok. The court acknowledged TikTok's role in fostering community and providing a platform for expression but concluded that the potential risks outweighed these benefits.
"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," Friday's ruling stated. "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."
The Washington Post reported that President-elect Donald Trump is considering an executive order once in office that would suspend enforcement of the TikTok ban-or-sale law for 60 to 90 days, “buying the administration time to negotiate a sale or alternative solution — a legally questionable effort to win a brief reprieve for the Chinese-owned app now scheduled to be banned on Sunday nationwide.”
As the deadline approaches, the future of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain.
People.com noted that “the app will not magically disappear from users’ phones after the deadline.”
Instead, the law would force the app to be removed from app stores (like through Apple or Google) and make it inaccessible through internet browsers in America. New users would not be able to access or download TikTok.
If TikTok or other internet companies violated the law, they could face giant financial penalties.
For more information, you can read the full Supreme Court opinion here.