Following the rejection of its requests by lower courts, ByteDance turned to the US Supreme Court to try to stop or delay the implementation of the anti-TikTok law in the American market. This was the last legal recourse the company could resort to. However, things have not gone well for ByteDance, as the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the US TikTok ban, to which Trump has issued a statement.
The TikTok shutdown in the US is getting closer
January 19 is the deadline set for the bill signed by Joe Biden in April 2024. It’s noteworthy that, at the time, the bill had overwhelming bipartisan support. The majority of the US Congress considered the app to be a potential danger to national security. The DOJ’s arguments, which asserted that China could use TikTok to steal data from American users and manipulate young people through the content recommendation algorithm, successfully convinced them.
However, in recent days, some US officials who supported the law have come out in favor of a deadline extension. Such is the case of Democratic senators Ed Markey and Chuck Schumer. Meanwhile, ByteDance said that it will close the app for the US market if a solution does not emerge. It’s possible that this is an attempt to put pressure on US officials to change their minds.
A report claimed that Trump’s cabinet plans to offer a 60 to 90 day extension to TikTok via executive order. The original bill permits this if certain conditions associated with the company’s ongoing sale process are satisfied. However, TikTok is still not for sale, says ByteDance, even denying alleged conversations with Elon Musk. So, it is still unknown what exact method the Trump administration will use.
Trump’s statement after the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the TikTok ban
Donald Trump confirmed that the Biden administration left the implementation of the law in his hands. “It ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do,” he said in an interview with CNN. “Congress has given me the decision, so I’ll be making the decision,” he added.
