(CLO) The US Supreme Court ruled on Friday to uphold the ban on TikTok unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the popular social media platform, putting it at risk of ceasing operations in the US as early as tomorrow (January 19).
The court's overwhelming 9-0 ruling has left the fate of the social media platform with 170 million users in the US in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to rescue TikTok after returning to the White House on January 20.
This law was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress last year and signed into law by President Joe Biden. TikTok, ByteDance, and some of the app's users have challenged the law, but the Supreme Court has ruled that it does not violate the constitutional right to free speech as they argued.
Illustration photo: GI
ByteDance did little to divest from TikTok before the legally mandated Sunday deadline, so theoretically its closure should have taken place on January 19th.
"My decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but I need time to consider the situation. Stay tuned!" Trump said in a social media post. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend Trump's inauguration on Monday in Washington.
"I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find a solution that will allow TikTok to continue to be used in the United States," Chew said in a statement, reiterating the company's commitment to free speech.
It's possible TikTok could continue operating on Sunday if the Biden administration makes it clear that it will not enforce the law in order to respect the upcoming Trump administration.
US lawmakers and the Biden administration have highlighted national security concerns related to TikTok as the reason for their ban on the Chinese social media platform.
TikTok has become one of the most prominent social media platforms in the US, particularly among young people who use it to post short videos , including many who use it as a platform for small businesses.
Hoang Huy (according to SCOTUS, TikTok, Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/toa-an-toi-cao-my-duy-tri-lenh-cam-tiktok-lieu-ong-trump-co-the-giai-cuu-post330890.html
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