In a shocking transfer, the Supreme Courtroom acted virtually instantly and scheduled oral arguments for January 10, however has not acted on TikTok’s request to pause the legislation, experiences Reuters.
ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese language mother or father firm, has requested US officers to revise the bill that was signed into law by Biden again in April. This legislation might pressure the sale of the ultra-popular short-video app or end in its ban by January 19 on nationwide safety grounds.
The legislation, handed by Congress in April and signed by President Joe Biden, goals to handle issues that TikTok poses a major nationwide safety threat as a result of its means to entry huge quantities of consumer information, together with personal messages and areas, and doubtlessly manipulate content material. That is not Fb or Instagram we’re speaking about right here, maintain that in thoughts.
TikTok, utilized by roughly 170 million Individuals, denies these allegations, insisting it poses no speedy risk to US safety.
TikTok and ByteDance argue that the legislation violates the First Modification’s free speech protections. They warn {that a} ban might outcome within the platform shedding a 3rd of its US customers inside a month, harming its relationships with advertisers, content material creators, and staff. Of their Supreme Courtroom submitting, they emphasised that the First Modification permits Individuals to determine whether or not to make use of TikTok, absolutely knowledgeable of any potential dangers.
In the meantime, Senate Republican chief Mitch McConnell filed a quick urging the courtroom to keep away from delaying the legislation’s implementation, evaluating TikTok to a harmful felony. Conversely, President-elect Donald Trump, who unsuccessfully sought to ban TikTok throughout his first time period in 2020, has shifted his stance, stating he would reassess the problem after taking workplace on January 20.
On the finish of the day, I do not assume that US officers are that preoccupied with personal information breaches – name me cynical, however I feel TikTok’s potential ban is simply one other a part of the US-China financial battle.
