Chinese-controlled TikTok is on the Chopping Block

The Supreme Court is unlikely to intervene, meaning the app will be banned in just a few days.

What’s happening: At present, TikTok will be banned from US app stores or accessed on internet browsers on January 19. However, those who already have the app downloaded to their phone will still be allowed to use it.

Catch up: President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan law last year requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s owner, to fully divest from the company. ByteDance challenged that law in court; while an appeals court upheld the law, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case.

  • Up to SCOTUS: The Supreme Court appears ready to uphold the ban. During oral arguments on Friday, both liberal and conservative justices were skeptical of TikTok’s claims that a ban from US app stores violates its First Amendment rights.

Surprising help: TikTok is now being supported by President-elect Donald Trump, who asked the Supreme Court to temporarily halt the ban so that he could negotiate a compromise once in office.

  • Flashback: As president, Trump signed an executive order to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok, but Biden rescinded that order upon taking office. Now, both men have seemingly reversed their positions.

Eager buyers: Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary said he has nearly gathered enough investors to buy TikTok from ByteDance. But O’Leary says he’d need Trump to help him finalize the sale — which would require the Supreme Court to pause the law before January 19. It would also need ByteDance to sign off.

Why it matters: TikTok is used by at least one-third of adults and over half of teens, which means banning it would eliminate a communications platform used by millions. It would also remove a powerful Chinese Communist tool: TikTok admitted to storing Americans’ data in China, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognize the serious national security implications the app poses.

In the media

From the left: Slate argued that Donald Trump was “the only person who can save TikTok” and said there was no evidence that TikTok was a national security threat. Meanwhile, CNN reported that TikTok was trying to convince the Supreme Court that banning it would violate freedom of speech.

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