US Supreme Court upholds law banning TikTok

The ban, which is likely to come into effect on Sunday could spell major losses for TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law banning video-sharing platform TikTok due to national security concerns about a Chinese company owning the app, reported news agency AFP.

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law banning video-sharing platform TikTok (AFP)

The ban, which will come into effect on Sunday could spell major losses for TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, leading to millions of American users being blocked from using the platform.

The court ruled that the law did not violate the right to free speech as argued by the company ByteDance and the national security concerns about the application demonstrated by the US government were paramount.

During a hearing last week, the Supreme Court agreed that the video-sharing platform was a means of expression for millions of Americans.

"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," they said.

However, they added that issues raised regarding TikTok's data collection practices and the adversarial relationship between the US and China were significant as well.

The law, which the court upheld, was passed with majority in Congress in 2024, forcing ByteDance to either sell the platform or close its operations in the United States by January 19, 2025.

The law was introduced in response to the ongoing concerns that the highly popular app could be potentially exploited by China for espionage or propaganda.

Donald Trump's response

The outgoing Biden administration has stated that they leave any decisions regarding the ban up to president-elect Donald Trump who will take office on January 20.

Donald Trump on Friday discussed TikTok with Chinese president Xi Jinping during a phone conversation, reported AFP. During his presidential campaign, Trump had vowed to save the application from being banned.

Trump's incoming national security advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News on Thursday that the platform had helped Trump with getting his message out but concerns around data privacy were also significant. He added that the administration was looking into measures to prevent the application from “going dark”.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew will also be an attendee at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony on Monday.