
*The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a ruling requiring TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, to either sell its U.S. operations or face a ban starting January 19.
The ban is set to be enforced under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Controlled Applications Act, a bipartisan law signed by President Joe Biden last year. Congress passed legislation mandating TikTok’s separation from ByteDance, arguing the app’s Chinese ownership could enable surveillance and influence over U.S. users.
“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 justices wrote in an unsigned opinion, per Deadline. “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. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.”
Due to the new law, app stores will be responsible for removing TikTok, preventing new downloads. Existing users could keep the app, but would lose access to updates, eventually rendering it inoperable.
TikTok reportedly plans to go offline in the U.S. on Sunday to highlight the law’s effects. However, reports suggest Chinese officials are considering selling part of TikTok to Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), to keep the platform operational.

The Biden administration has no immediate plans to enforce the ban, leaving the decision to incoming President Donald Trump, who takes office Monday, a day after it goes into effect.
Trump cannot overturn the law without congressional action, but he could delay enforcement through the Justice Department or an executive order, which is reportedly under consideration.
As the ban approaches, many TikTok users are shifting to alternative apps owned by Chinese companies, including RedNote. Check out the video report above.
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