The Supreme Court on Friday announced its decision to uphold the ban on video-sharing platform TikTok. This means app stores will no longer be allowed to offer the app for download.
In its ruling, the court highlighted the unique national security threat the app poses since ByteDance, a China-based company, owns it. It discussed concerns that the company would be compelled to share data collected from American users with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
As noted in the ruling, “ByteDance Ltd. owns TikTok’s proprietary algorithm, which is developed and maintained in China." The ruling also suggests that Chinese law empowers its regime to force companies to funnel data to it, thereby making TikTok a potential "espionage tool of China."
Congress passed legislation in April 2024 requiring ByteDance, the China-based company that owns TikTok, to sell the app or cease operations in the United States. It mandates that tech companies such as Apple or Google not include TikTok in its app stores, preventing users from downloading or updating it.
The measure does not prohibit Americans from using the app. However, if people are unable to keep up with the updates, the app will eventually be rendered inoperable.
The law is set to take effect on January 19, one day before Trump’s inauguration.
The legislation was passed amid concerns over national security. Proponents argue that China’s government might compel ByteDance to share Americans’ data with the regime. They also expressed concerns that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might use the app to spread anti-American and pro-China propaganda. The law is intended to ensure the app is not under the control of a hostile foreign government.
The law was met with legal challenges, with the company arguing that the ban is unconstitutional because it infringes on the First Amendment right to freedom of expression for the 170 million users who use the app. It sought to block the law, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the ban.
The battle did not stop there.
The Supreme Court recently took up the case. Lawyers representing ByteDance and content creators argued that the measure would stifle free speech and prevent content creators from plying their trade on the app. In particular, one of the attorneys pointed out that these individuals could not just simply pick up and move over to a new app that does not have TikTok’s advanced algorithm.
However, all is not lost – at least so far.
Trump has jumped into the debate, arguing in favor of allowing TikTok to remain. This was not always his position. Back in 2020, he supported a ban on the app, echoing the same national security concerns as Republicans and Democrats in Congress. He claimed the CCP was using the app to spy on Americans.
Now, Trump reversed his position and has been vocal in his criticism of the law. He argued that banning the app would upset millions of young Americans, a demographic he made inroads with during the 2024 campaign through the app. “There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it,” he said.
The president-elect’s team is reportedly considering issuing an executive order on the first day he is in office to pause enforcement of the law to give ByteDance more time to sell the app. However, there are doubts about whether this strategy would work because it is unclear whether Apple or Google would continue hosting the app even if the White House signals that it will not enforce the law.
Meanwhile, many young users have migrated to another video-sharing app owned by a China-based company called Rednote. The app has seen a 194 percent increase in downloads since Monday.
So, what’s next?
TikTok will likely go dark on Sunday, the 19th when the ban takes effect. Users can still use the app for the time being, even without updates. It would likely take a considerable amount of time before the app was no longer usable.
In the meantime, ByteDance could still sell the app – even after the ban is in place. It is unclear how this might affect TikTok’s algorithm and the quality of the platform.
However, if Trump’s strategy works, then perhaps Americans would still be able to use the app without interruption as the company seeks a buyer.