TikTok sell-or-ban law is upheld by US Supreme Court
High court rules that law requiring ByteDance to sell video-sharing app to non-Chinese buyer or face US ban starting Sunday is constitutional
The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law requiring TikTok, the popular Chinese short-video app, to be banned in the United States unless it secures a non-Chinese buyer by Sunday.
The ruling delivers a significant blow to TikTok, which has 170 million American users, amid escalating concerns over national security risks tied to the app’s Chinese ownership.
The court’s ruling is a major development in a political, legal and business saga involving China that has been unfolding for nearly five years, since debate around the app’s potential threat to US national security began in 2020.
However, TikTok’s ultimate fate may be determined by executive action following pledges by president-elect Donald Trump – who originally opposed the app – to save it.
In an unusual move, Trump filed an amicus brief in the case requesting the court to halt the ban to give him time to seek a resolution through “political means”.
In an unsigned opinion, the court wrote that “there is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community”.
