The Supreme Court ruled Friday that a controversial ban on TikTok can take effect on Sunday, upholding a law that requires TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the social media app or face a ban in the U.S.
The decision comes just three days before President-elect Donald Trump — who had asked justices to delay the deadline so he could negotiate a deal — takes office.
The law, signed in April 2024 by President Joe Biden, gave ByteDance 270 days to divest from the app or face a U.S. ban. The company said divestment was not an option and that the law goes against the First Amendment rights of both the company and TikTok’s 170 million users in the U.S.
The Supreme Court last month agreed to hear TikTok’s challenge to the law and expedited the case to a special session on Jan. 10.
The Hill reported the news first, sharing that justices found that the divest-or-ban law does not violate the First Amendment as ByteDance claims. The Biden administration argued that a national security interest over the app’s ties to China and potential access to data takes precedence over ByteDance’s free-speech claims.
According to NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network, the Biden administration is not planning to enforce the ban with only a few days to go before Trump’s inauguration.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the Supreme Court’s opinion said. “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.”
Under the terms of the law, third-party internet service providers like Apple and Google will be penalized for supporting the app after the Jan. 19 deadline.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated with further information.
