TikTok Fighting January Deadline for Ban; Appeals to Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will hear TikTok's appeal of a federal law that could lead to a nationwide ban of the popular social media app as early as next month.

The law, passed earlier this year with bi-partisan votes in congress and signed into law by president Joe Biden, mandates ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to divest from its U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban by January 19—one day before President-Elect Donald Trump takes office.

The legislation stems from national security concerns, with lawmakers apprehensive that ByteDance's Chinese ownership could allow the Chinese Communist Party to access U.S. users' data or influence content.

TikTok has contested the law, asserting that it does not share user data with the Chinese government and labeling the legislation a violation of First Amendment rights.

After an unfavorable ruling in a federal appeals court, TikTok appealed to the Supreme Court. The Court has not yet halted the law's enforcement, and some analysts estimate a 20% chance of TikTok overturning the ruling.

President-elect Donald Trump has expressed opposition to a ban on the app, which boasts approximately 170 million U.S. users. Many are watching to see how his pending presidency may influence the conservative-leaning supreme court’s decision.

A potential ban have significant implications for creators and influencers, impacting their content strategies, income streams, and audience engagement. Those with diversified platforms may better withstand the disruption.

Some users have taken to the platform itself to voice their opposition to the ban.

Dr. Sarah Hensley, a leading relationship expert and viral TikTok creator with more than 1 million followers put out an impassioned plea against the ban.

“Our constitution says you have to take every other possible measure before you infringe on free speech, Hensley said. “There are an insane number of measures according to some very smart attorneys that could be taken other than banning this app.

The Supreme Court's decision will have profound implications for the intersection of national security, free speech, and the digital economy.

“I’m sitting back and I’m waiting to see what in the hell is gonna happen if on January 19th it’s gone. What are the millions of Americans who have built their livelihood here going to do?” Hensley said.