The United States Supreme Court has upheld a nationwide TikTok ban in the country that comes into effect on Sunday unless Chinese owner ByteDance
The United States Supreme Court has upheld a nationwide TikTok ban in the country that comes into effect on Sunday unless Chinese owner ByteDance finds a up-to-date US buyer.
The unanimous decision by the Court’s nine Justices upheld the ban last month by a US appeals court and aligns with the belief of US lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and the US Department of Justice that the immensely popular video-sharing app presents a national security risk when it is downloaded to US phones.
The concern is that the Chinese government could get hold of customer information and might also apply the app to spread propaganda. If no US sale takes place by Sunday, the onus will be on app stories to remove TikTok from its offerings.
China is designated a “foreign adversary”, however ByteDance, whose institutional investors include the US private equity juggernaut Blackrock, has said the Chinese government has never asked for customer information.
An excerpt from the Supreme Court ruling on Friday morning read, “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and wide-ranging outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community.
“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. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.”
President-elect Donald Trump, whose inauguration takes place on Monday, has reportedly said he is considering an executive order to allow TikTok to continue operating.
A US ban would force Hollywood marketing teams to rethink strategy. In recent years TikTok has played a part in film campaigns who may now be compelled to focus attention more on the app’s rivals like Meta-owned Instagram, and Snapchat.
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