The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected TikTok’s legal challenge to a federal law requiring its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the short-video app or face a ban in the United States by January 19.
The court ruled that the law, passed overwhelmingly by Congress last year with bipartisan support and signed by President Joe Biden, does not violate constitutional protections of free speech.
TikTok remains one of the most popular social media platforms in the U.S., with approximately 270 million users—nearly half of the population.
Rising Tensions Between China and the U.S.
China and the United States, long-standing economic and geopolitical rivals, have clashed over TikTok’s ownership for years. American leaders have expressed concerns that Chinese ownership of the app poses security risks.
The TikTok crisis intensified during the final months of Biden’s presidency, which ends on January 20 when President-elect Donald Trump takes office. This comes amidst escalating trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
National Security Concerns
During oral arguments, Justice Department lawyer Elizabeth Prelogar emphasized that the Chinese government’s influence over TikTok poses a “serious threat” to U.S. national security. She argued that Beijing seeks to collect vast amounts of sensitive data on Americans and engage in covert operations to influence public opinion.
The decision highlights the growing scrutiny of Chinese technology firms and the broader geopolitical rivalry shaping policy decisions in the U.S.
