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1 week ago

TikTok ban live: App will shut down on Sunday unless it is sold or saved by Trump after Supreme Court decision

Biden administration said it will not enforce ban on Sunday, leaving fate of the social media platform up to Trump

US TikTok ban: When will the Chinese-owned social media app be banned?

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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.

1 week ago

Supreme Court backs TikTok ban: App set to shut down Sunday

More than 170 million Americans could lose access to the widely popular social media platform TikTok beginning Sunday after the Supreme Court upheld the law that forces TikTok to divest from its parent company or be banned.

Read more here:

Supreme Court backs TikTok ban: App set to shut down Sunday

Law passed by Congress forces TikTok to be sold to a U.S. company or banned by Sunday

Ariana Baio17 January 2025 18:00
1 week ago

Biden says TikTok should remain available to Americans

In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on TikTok, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Joe Biden believes the app “should remain available to Americans” but under new ownership to fall in line with the law from Congress.

Biden passed the buck to Trump saying the law “must fall to the next administration.”

Ariana Baio17 January 2025 17:30
1 week ago

Trump says he will ‘review’ the situation

President-elect Donald Trump said he will “review the situation” with TikTok and make a decision “in the not too distant future” after the Supreme Court upheld the law that requires the social media platform to sell to a US company or be banned.

“The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”

Trump previously said he will “save” TikTok.

Ariana Baio17 January 2025 17:00
1 week ago

First Amendment advocates blast Supreme Court ruling

Several advocates for the First Amendment slammed the Supreme Court’s decision in the TikTok ban case on Friday, saying it was a “disheartening blow” to millions who use TikTok.

“Today marks a significant setback for the First Amendment and a disheartening blow to the millions of Americans who rely on TikTok to express themselves, share ideas, and engage with their communities,” Jacob Mchangama, the executive director of the Future of Free Speech said.

Mchangama said the precedent is “dangerous” and “could embolden Congress to further restrict online speech under the guise of national security.”

Jacob Heubert, the president of the Liberty Justice Center, said they were “disappointed” the Supreme Court upheld a “speculative” national security argument over Americans’ right to free speech.

“But the Court’s ruling today is at least narrow—it relies on the unique relationship between TikTok and its foreign parent, and it doesn’t opine on the parts of the law that would allow future presidents to ban other platforms they believe threaten national security,” Heubert said.

Ariana Baio17 January 2025 16:40
1 week ago

Trump gives vague answer on his plan for TikTok

President-elect Donald Trump did not reveal what he will do with TikTok now that the fate the app lies in his hands but said he plans to make a decision.

“It ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do,” Trump told CNN anchor Pamela Brown. “Congress has given me the decision, so I’ll be making the decision.”

Ariana Baio17 January 2025 16:15
1 week ago

White House says TikTok should remain available – and shutdown will be up to Trump

The White House has released a statement saying that TikTok should remain available to all Americans, and that the implementation of the law is up to the next administration.

(As a reminder, the ban goes into effect on 19 January, and Donald Trump will be inaugurated on 20 January.)

That means the app will presumably not go dark on 19 January. And it might never: though Trump’s plans are unclear, there is plenty of reason to believe that he is looking at rolling back or at least delaying the ban.

“TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” the White House said in the new statement.

“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday.”

Andrew Griffin17 January 2025 15:33
1 week ago

Supreme Court will not overrule TikTok ban

The ban on TikTok will stand, the Supreme Court says. The law does not break the first amendment and therefore will not be overturned.

Andrew Griffin17 January 2025 15:04
1 week ago

Donald Trump says he discussed TikTok with Xi Jinping

The president-elect has held a phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which he says included a discussion of TikTok. He did not say what the nature of those discussions were.

“The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform.

“President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”

Andrew Griffin17 January 2025 15:00
1 week ago

Supreme Court opinions imminent

In about half an hour, the Supreme Court is due to release opinions. That will happen at 10am local eastern time.

We don’t know for sure that it will cover TikTok, as it did not say which cases those will cover. And we definitely don’t know whether it will make a difference: during arguments last week, it seemed as if the court would probably uphold the law and thereby leave the TikTok ban in place.

Andrew Griffin17 January 2025 14:37
1 week ago

What does the future hold for TikTok?

If TikTok is banned, what does that mean for users both in the United States and across the world? This Q&A has a look at both.

Andrew Griffin17 January 2025 13:08

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