The United States Supreme Court delivered a unanimous decision against TikTok in the appeal filed by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, challenging a federal law requiring the sale of the popular short-video app or its ban in the U.S. The law is set to take effect on January 20.
The court’s nine justices determined that the legislation does not violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. This was a central argument in ByteDance’s defense against the law.
The legislation, passed last April with strong bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden, aims to address national security concerns.
The Supreme Court reached its decision after an expedited review of the case, with hearings held on January 10, just nine days before the law’s deadline.
The case raised a broad spectrum of issues, including freedom of speech and national security concerns in the era of social media. The ruling has sparked significant reactions among Americans, reflecting the app’s popularity and the implications of the decision.
The Biden administration has accused TikTok and ByteDance of enabling the Chinese government to collect user data and conduct surveillance, allegations strongly denied by Beijing.
Source: ANA-MPA / Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas