The fate of 170 million TikTok users is now in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law that requires TikTok to be sold to a U.S. company or be banned by Sunday, January 19.
But, the White House said it would not enforce the law since Trump takes office the following day, leaving it up to the incoming president.
Trump has promised to “save” TikTok – though it’s unclear how he plans to do so.
A law, passed by Congress last year, requires TikTok to divest from its parent company, ByteDance, due to its proximity to the Chinese government. Lawmakers are concerned that China, a foreign adversary, could access Americans’ data and impede their privacy.
TikTok asked the Supreme Court to intervene, believing it was a violation of the First Amendment. The court disagreed.
While the law only requires that TikTok be taken down from Google and Apple app stores, TikTok has indicated that it will take itself offline completely. Though without an enforcement mechanism, it’s unclear if that will still happen.
TikTok says it will go dark on Sunday unless Biden intervenes
TikTok has said it will go dark in the U.S. on Sunday unless the Biden administration guarantees that it won’t punish Apple, Google and other service privoders if they support the app.
They claimed that both the Biden White House and Department of Justice had failed to provide the “necessary clarity” to platforms that provide the app to over 170 million Americans.
“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” the statement on Friday read.
Andrew Georgeson18 January 2025 02:13
Sen. Tom Cotton reacts to Supreme Court decision: Court ‘correctly rejected TikTok’s lies and propaganda masquerading as legal arguments’
Julia Musto18 January 2025 02:01
Read the opinion: Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban-or-sale law
Read the opinion from the Supreme Court here.
Julia Musto18 January 2025 01:00
AG Merrick Garland says the Supreme Court’s decision allows the DOJ to prevent China from ‘weaponizing’ TikTok
“The Court’s decision enables the Justice Department to prevent the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to undermine America’s national security,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
“Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to millions of Americans’ sensitive data. The Court’s decision affirms that this Act protects the national security of the United States in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution.”
Julia Musto18 January 2025 00:00
Musk could buy TikTok without the algorithm, Wedbush Securities’ Dan Ives says
Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities global head of tech research, said he believes Elon Musk could buy TikTok for $40 to $50 billion without the algorithm.
Julia Musto17 January 2025 23:00
Tesla stock jumps amid speculation that Elon Musk could buy TikTok
Tesla stock jumped 3 percent on Friday amid speculation that CEO Elon Musk could potentially buy TikTok, according to Yahoo Finance.
The social media platform needs to find a U.S. buyer.
Julia Musto17 January 2025 22:00
Sen. Bernie Sanders says Supreme Court is ‘wrong’ on possible TikTok ban
Julia Musto17 January 2025 21:45
‘They called our bluff’: NYU professor Scott Galloway reacts to potential TikTok ban
Julia Musto17 January 2025 21:30
TikTok CEO thanks Trump for his support of the app
Shou Chew, TikTok’s chief executive, posted a video to TikTok’s corporate account on Friday, thanking President-elect Donald Trump for his support of the app.
He called it “a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
Julia Musto17 January 2025 21:22
News Summary:
- TikTok ban live: App gives ultimatum to Biden admin ahead of ‘going dark’ on Sunday
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