WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 23: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. The hearing was a rare opportunity for lawmakers to question the leader of the short-form social media video app about the company's relationship with its Chinese owner, ByteDance, and how they handle users' sensitive personal data. Some local, state and federal government agencies have been banning use of TikTok by employees, citing concerns about national security. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
A nationwide ban on the popular social media app TikTok is set to take effect on Sunday, Jan. 19.
On Friday, the Supreme Court unanimously sided with the Biden Administration to uphold the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Acts, signed by Joe Biden in April.
This follows the federal government’s demand that the app separate from ByteDance, the China-based parent company, which refuses to divest from the app, arguing that the ban is a violation of First Amendment rights.
The court said in an opinion that although data collection and analysis is not uncommon in today’s world, the vast size of TikTok as a platform and its “susceptibility to foreign adversary control,” poses a threat to national security.
In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that all complications around TikTok will now be handled by the Trump administration.
She wrote, “TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law.”
“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday.”
President-elect Donald Trump said that the Supreme Court’s decision was “expected” and should be respected. He has reportedly considered issuing an executive order that would push the ban on TikTok for up to 90 days.
He wrote on TruthSocial, “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”
TikTik CEO Shou Zi Chew and Vice President Han Zheng are both expected to be in attendance at Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
Chew was grilled before Congress in March 2023 over the company’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
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