The Supreme Court has decided to hear TikTok’s last bid against the looming ban in the United States (US). The possible suspension persists from a new law signed by President Joe Biden in May.
The hearing will take place on January 10, 2025.
TikTok’s earlier request to suspend the enforcement of the law was rejected by a federal appeals court this month. The short-video platform, used by about 170 million people in the US, subsequently went to the Supreme Court, which took up the case.
“We’re pleased with today’s Supreme Court order,” TikTok says in response to the Supreme Court’s decision. “We believe the Court will find the TikTok ban unconstitutional so the over 170 million Americans on our platform can continue to exercise their free speech rights.”
The legislation, called “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act”, forces ByteDance to sell its US operations until January 19, 2025, or face a permanent ban.
TikTok has strongly condemned the Act, accusing the Biden administration of violating the First Amendment of the Constitution. It has stated that the prospective ban cannot be averted unless the controversial piece of legislation forcing the app’s sale is struck down by the court.
The formulation and approval of Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is a result of the long-standing security concerns within the regulatory circles in the US.
Over the years, TikTok has faced accusations of covert links with the Chinese government and that it might be forced into sharing data of Americans with Chinese intelligence agencies for “traditional espionage operations”.
TikTok has repeatedly asserted that it has no connections with the Chinese government, however. The company has stated that it protects personal information of its users and takes their privacy seriously.
