US Supreme Court Upholds Tik Tok Ban

The popular social networking app TikTok might go down tomorrow Sunday, in the United States after the Supreme Court upheld a new regulation on January 17, 2025, that would ban the service.

This law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, was signed into law in April 2024 by President Biden.

For years, U.S. authorities have warned about the app, citing alleged national security threats posed by the program’s ties to China.

The Congress took action last year to compel TikTok’s Chinese parent firm, ByteDance, to sell its share of the app or face exclusion from the U.S.

They were given a deadline of January 19, one day before the inauguration of a new president, by the legislation.

The court’s unanimous 9-0 ruling puts TikTok, along with its 170 million American users, in a tight position. Tik Tok’s only hope now remains to be president-elect Donald Trump, who promised to save the app on returning to the presidency on Monday.

In addition to vowing not to sell TikTok, ByteDance stated that in the absence of a reprieve, it would shut down the app’s US operations on Sunday.

This means that Apple and Google will no longer offer the app to new users or give existing users security upgrades.

Future Actions

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement after the Supreme Court’s decision that President Joe Biden’s stance on TikTok has been obvious for months.

She said his stance has always been that TikTok remains available to Americans but under American’s ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concern.

However, the president acknowledged that “actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration, which takes office on Monday” because of the “sheer fact of timing,” she added.

Making his “decision on TikTok” in “the not too distant future,” President-elect Donald Trump stated on social media that the decision was expected and should be respected by everyone.

“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” Trump wrote.

In a video, TikTok CEO, Shou Chew stated that the company  “will do everything in its power to ensure our platform thrives” for users.

Additionally, he expressed his gratitude to Trump specifically for “his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States.”

A buyer might emerge or Trump may use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify TikTok’s retention as necessary for national security.

So far, Frank McCourt, the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, is the only high-profile bidder to date. He stated that TikTok is worth roughly $20 billion without its algorithm.