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.
CloseUS TikTok ban: When will the Chinese-owned social media app be banned?Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletterEmailI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policyThe 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.
Key issues
- Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban
- White House says TikTok should remain available – and shutdown will be up to Trump
- Biden will not enforce TikTok ban before leaving office, report says
- Here’s how you can prepare for TikTok ban