- TikTok risks being banned in the US unless owners ByteDance sell it
- Opponents argue banning the app threatens free speech
- President elect Donald Trump opposes the ban
TikTok could potentially be banned in the US as soon as next week if Chinese owner ByteDance doesn’t sell it off.
President Joe Biden made moves to ban the app last year over its Chinese ownership allegedly presenting national security concerns. The US government has argued that China could use TikTok for spying and political manipulation.
ByteDance has until January 19 to sell TikTok or risk a ban, but it has already said it won’t sell the app.
The ban became a likelier prospect after TikTok appeared in the US Supreme Court on Friday (January 10) to contest it. New legislation would require tech giants such as Apple and Google to stop offering it and no longer update it.
TikTok is already banned in numerous other countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Bangladesh and Azerbaijan. In addition, it is also banned from government devices in many countries.
What has TikTok said about the ban?
TikTok has repeatedly denied any potential influence by the Chinese Communist Party. It argued that banning it could violate the free speech rights of its 170 million US users.
Creator Chloe Joy Sexton also pointed to the app allowing professional creators to have “financial independence”.
“A TikTok ban would place these women, myself included, in true financial jeopardy,” she said. “It would destroy both my business and the community that means so much to me.”
It was on these grounds that TikTok attempted to contest the law in court last month. However, its bid to overturn the law was rejected.
A spokesperson for the platform argued that the law was based on “inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information” and would amount to censorship.
What has Donald Trump said about the ban?
Trump has voiced his opposition to the ban on the basis that it helps him politically, especially among young people.
On January 3, the President elect posted a graphic of his engagement on TikTok, revealing he received 36 billion views in 2024. “Why would I want to get rid of TikTok?” he wrote in the caption.
In December, he said at a press conference: “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth [in the 2024 election] by 34 points. And there are those who say TikTok has something to do with it.”
He urged the Supreme Court to delay its decision until he returns to the White House to seek a “political solution” to the potential issues raised. The deadline is the day before his inauguration.
