The US&nbsp;Supreme Court on Friday seemed poised to uphold a law that would ban TikTok unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests its American operations. The case, which pits national security concerns against free speech rights, could result in one of the country&rsquo;s most popular social media platforms being shut down as early as January 19.
The justices heard arguments on the law, passed last year with bipartisan support and signed by President Joe Biden, which mandates that ByteDance sell TikTok or halt its US operations. Lawmakers have argued that ByteDance&rsquo;s ties to the Chinese government and its access to vast amounts of user data pose a national security threat. TikTok and several users challenged the law, claiming it violates First Amendment protections.
During oral arguments, the justices concentrated on whether the law targets content or only ByteDance itself. Several appeared to accept the government&rsquo;s argument that foreign corporations do not have First Amendment rights.
&ldquo;The law doesn&rsquo;t say TikTok has to shut down. It says ByteDance has to divest,&rdquo;&nbsp;Justice Amy Coney Barrett said.
Justice Elena Kagan pointed out,&nbsp;&ldquo;The law is only targeted at this foreign corporation that doesn&rsquo;t have First Amendment rights. Whatever effect it has, it has.&rdquo;
Chief Justice John Roberts noted,&nbsp;&ldquo;Congress doesn&rsquo;t care what&rsquo;s on TikTok. Congress is fine with the expression.&rdquo;
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson added,&nbsp;&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t say, &lsquo;TikTok, you can&rsquo;t speak&rsquo;.&rdquo;
These comments came as TikTok&rsquo;s lawyer, Noel Francisco, faced tough questions from the bench. Francisco argued that forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok amounts to a violation of free speech.
Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, defending the government, also faced scrutiny. Some justices questioned whether concerns about Chinese influence on TikTok&rsquo;s algorithm justified the law&rsquo;s impact on free expression.
The court is expected to rule quickly, given the looming deadline. If the law is upheld, ByteDance must either divest TikTok or withdraw from the US market.

If the law is upheld, ByteDance must either divest TikTok or withdraw from the US market by next week

US Supreme Court Likely to Uphold TikTok Ban

If the law is upheld, ByteDance must either divest TikTok or withdraw from the US market by next week

January 11, 2025 | 10:54 IST