TikTok issued a warning late Friday, saying that it will shut down in the United States on Sunday unless President Joe Biden’s administration guarantees companies like Apple and Google that they won’t face penalties once the ban is enforced.
The statement comes after a Supreme Court decision earlier in the day to uphold a law prohibiting TikTok in the United States on national security grounds unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests ownership. This ruling puts the widely-used short-video app on course to shut down within two days. The unanimous 9-0 ruling by the court has now left the platform, along with its staggering 170 million American users, in uncertainty.
Fate Hangs in Balance
TikTok’s future now now depends on Donald Trump, who has vowed to save the platform after resuming the presidency on Monday. “Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” the company said.
Companies like Apple, Alphabet, Google, Oracle, and others could face huge fines if they continue supporting TikTok once the ban is enforced.
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The law, which was passed with strong bipartisan support in Congress last year and signed by Biden, is now being reconsidered by some lawmakers who initially backed it but are pushing to allow TikTok to remain operational in the U.S.
Although TikTok, its parent company ByteDance, and some of its users contested the legislation, the Supreme Court ruled that it does not violate the First Amendment’s free speech protections, as they had claimed.
ByteDance has made minimal efforts to sell off TikTok ahead of the Sunday deadline outlined in the law. However, the app’s shutdown could be short-lived. Trump, who attempted to ban TikTok in 2020, has announced plans to intervene and save the platform.
“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 said in a social media post.
Trump the last Hope
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to attend Trump’s second inauguration on Monday in Washington. Trump revealed that he discussed TikTok with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a phone call on Friday.
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The Supreme Court delivered its ruling on Friday after TikTok argued that the law requiring the sale of the popular video-sharing app to avoid a ban infringed upon users’ First Amendment rights.
“We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights,” the Supreme Court wrote in its decision, which reaffirming an appeals court ruling.
Last year, TikTok, along with several users and creators, filed a lawsuit to block the ban. However, lower courts dismissed their case, leaving them no option but to appeal to the Supreme Court.
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During oral arguments on January 10, the Supreme Court indicated it would not prevent the ban from taking effect on Sunday. In its ruling on Friday, the nation’s highest court said that the law’s provisions were content-neutral, focusing on the control of the platform by a foreign adversary rather than targeting specific types of speech.
With around 170 million Americans using TikTok, many have expressed concerns that banning the Chinese-owned app could disrupt businesses and impact the livelihoods of millions.
The next steps will depend on how the incoming Trump administration addresses the issue.
