After years of debate and months of court battle, TikTok should disappear on Sunday in the United States, depriving 170 million users of this very popular short video application.
The Supreme Court unanimously endorsed on Friday a law that contemplates a ban on the social network starting Sunday if its Chinese owners do not put it up for sale until that day.
The Supreme Court gave the green light to the law that forces TikTok to suspend its operations. Photo:EFE
In what constitutes a significant defeat for TikTok, the high court established that the law does not violate the right to freedom of expression and that the US government has demonstrated that its concerns about Chinese ownership of the platform are legitimate.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers an important avenue to express themselves, an instrument of participation and a way to build community,” the judges considered in their decision.
“But Congress has determined that the transfer (of ownership) is necessary to address its well-founded national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and its relationship with a foreign adversary,” they concluded.
With this decision, the effective date of the ban was kept on January 19, although lawmakers and officials across the political spectrum have called for some form of postponement.
TikTok will be banned and restricted in 20 countries Photo:X: @ll_erenas
The law in question was conceived as a response to the widespread belief in Washington thate Tiktok is being used by China for espionage or propaganda purposes.
The future of TikTok, in the hands of Donald Trump
The fate of TikTok thus largely depends on the future president, Donald Trump.
Officials from the outgoing Joe Biden administration assured on Friday that they will leave law enforcement in the hands of Trump, who will take office on Monday.
On Saturday, Trump told NBC that he would closely study the matter starting Monday and that a “90-day suspension (of law enforcement),” provided for in the legislation, would “probably be enacted” that day.
In 2020, Trump tried to ban TikTok, but now he is in favor of allowing the app to continue operating in the United States.
The Republican discussed this issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a telephone conversation on Friday.
donald trump Photo:AFP
The social network’s CEO, Shou Chew, thanked Trump for his “commitment to working” together and “finding a solution.” The social network has undertaken intense lobbying to thwart the rule, including Chew’s announced attendance at the Republican’s inauguration.
In April 2024, Republican and Democratic congressmen approved this law aimed at preventing Chinese authorities from accessing the data of social network users in the United States or trying to manipulate public opinion.
The Department of Justice, which would be in charge of enforcing the law, said in a statement that its application “will be a process that will develop over time”in an apparent sign of support for a postponement.
The text theoretically imposes internet access providers and application stores to block downloads and updates of the Chinese application from midnight Saturday to Sunday.
Contacted by AFP, the main firms in the sector did not respond.
“TikTok will be forced to close on January 19,” TikTok warned in a statement Friday night.
Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Trump’s designated National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, said the incoming administration will put in place measures “to prevent TikTok from being shut down.”
TikTok could close in the United States Photo:iStock
Could TikTok be sold?
The law provides for a period of 90 days if the White House can demonstrate that it is moving towards a viable agreement, but ByteDance and Beijing have so far categorically rejected a sale. Several American investors are interested in the application.
Businessman Frank McCourt is willing to invest $20 billion with other partners for the app’s activities in the United States, without its powerful algorithm.
Later, the emerging artificial intelligence (AI) company Perplexity AI presented an offer to ByteDance to merge with the US subsidiary of TikTok, a source close to the matter told AFP, confirming a report from the CNBC network.
TikTok has been banned and restricted in several countries. Photo:X: @LatinoBulldogs
While Perplexity AI’s proposal does not specify an amount for TikTok, “I can’t imagine a deal for less than $50 billion,” he explained.
In the app, Several American content creators published videos with their favorite moments from recent years and farewell messages with calls to follow them on other platforms, including some Chinese ones like RedNote.
AFP
