The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled constitutional a law that provides for the possibility of banning TikTok in the country if its Chinese parent company ByteDance does not agree to a sale, The Verge reports.
“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 ... 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 court wrote in its ruling.
This decision means that TikTok will remain under the threat of a ban in the United States from January 19, 2025, unless President Joe Biden extends the deadline or ByteDance manages to sell the company in time.
The Biden administration will likely decide to postpone enforcement and leave it to the next administration after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday, January 20. However, even such a commitment may not be enough to overcome the risks that service providers such as Apple, Google, and Oracle may face if they decide not to comply with the law and continue to serve TikTok when the ban officially goes into effect.
Trump has repeatedly stated that he will try to save the app. It has also recently become known that TikTok will be the main sponsor of the party in honor of the inauguration of the new US president, which will take place on Sunday, January 19, when the law banning the social network is to come into effect.