January 17, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 17 ruled against the TikTok social media platform, upholding the Congressional ban, signed by President Biden, outlawing the Chinese-owned service used by 170 million Americans from operating in the U.S. unless sold to a third party.
“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,” the Court said in its opinion. “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.”
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance, has been in the crosshairs of U.S. lawmakers and President-elect Trump for years, citing national securities concerns regarding China’s access to personal data affecting millions of Americans.
Trump, in his first term, demanded TikTok sell its U.S. operations, which never happened. During the Biden administration, Congress passed a bi-partisan bill outlawing the platform’s operation in the U.S. on Jan. 19.
TikTok, which is used by influencers and studios promoting movies and TV shows, had appealed the law, citing First Amendment protection.
The Justices ignored that argument.
“We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights,” read the opinion.
Trump, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, has reversed his stance on TikTok, hoping the Supreme Court would rule in favor of the platform. Separately, billionaire Elon Musk, among others, is reportedly looking to generate a possible acquisition of TikTok.
