A majority of US Supreme Court justices are leaning toward supporting a law banning TikTok due to its ties to China. The ban could take effect as early as January 19, 2025, unless ByteDance sells the app.
A majority of US Supreme Court justices are likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the United States. The ban could take effect as early as January 19, 2025, UNN reported, citing the Associated Press (AP) and CNN.
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It is noted that on Friday, January 10, the judges asked sharp questions to the lawyers of the application and a group of its content creators, and also heard arguments regarding the law banning the social network.
The judges viewed the ban law, approved by Congress last year, not as a law that primarily affects the document's First Amendment, but rather as an attempt to regulate potential foreign control over the application used by 170 million Americans
– reports CNN.
According to the results of the meeting, most of the judges will apparently support the ban, as there are concerns about TikTok's ties to China.
The law, which will restrict the social network's work in the United States, is due to take effect on January 19 if its Chinese parent company ByteDance refuses to sell the application or if the Supreme Court does not decide to intervene and temporarily block it itself law.
Earlier, the US Congress stated that this law is necessary because ByteDance is controlled by the Chinese government, and the ability to collect huge amounts of personal information of American users poses a threat to national security.
Two US presidents – Donald Trump and Joe Biden – have also expressed concerns in the past about both the manipulation of content on the platform and its data collection methods
– reminds CNN.
At the same time, TikTok claims that these concerns are speculative in nature, and rejects any suggestions that the Chinese government plays any role in the election of videos from cats, recipes, and news that millions of Americans view on the app.