TikTok’s future in the United States is at risk, with the platform facing a potential ban unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, agrees to sell the app by January 19, 2025.
The Supreme Court has heard TikTok’s final appeal to block the ban, while President-elect Donald Trump is pushing for a delay to pursue a “political” resolution after his inauguration.
Who Wants to Ban TikTok and Why?
The drive to ban TikTok has been led by US lawmakers and officials, citing national security concerns.
They argue that ByteDance’s ownership of the app poses a risk, with critics fearing that Beijing could exploit TikTok to access sensitive data on its 170 million US users.
Further, the US Justice Department has called TikTok a “national-security threat,” citing the potential for the Chinese government to exploit access to personal data.
Having said this,TikTok and ByteDance have consistently denied any ties to the Chinese government and rejected claims that they would share user data.
Moreover, the companies argue that the law is unconstitutional and would have a devastating impact on both their operations and US users.
In April 2024, Congress passed a bill requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US-approved buyer or face a shutdown of the app after President Joe Biden signed the bill into law, giving ByteDance a nine-month deadline to comply.
However, Trump’s legal team has filed a brief stating that he opposes the ban and intends to seek a resolution once in office.
Thus, while he attempted to ban the app in 2020, Trump now urges the Supreme Court to delay the ban, hoping to find a solution through “political means” after taking office.
As the deadline rapidly approaches, TikTok’s future in the US remains uncertain, with both legal and political battles intensifying.
