United States (US) Supreme Court has upheld a law that will ban TikTok if its parent company, Bytedance doesn’t sell to non-Chinese buyers by 19 January.
The court ruled that the law does not infringe on free speech rights adding that the US government had demonstrated legitimate national security concerns regarding the app being owned by a Chinese company.
ByteDance had during a hearing last week, argued that the law should be blocked as it violated free speech.
The Supreme Court’s ruling goes, “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, a means of engagement, and a source of community.”
“But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
The ban is set to take effect on Sunday, January 19, 2025.
