TikTok Faces Potential US Shutdown by January 19 Without Supreme Court Intervention
TikTok has announced plans to cease operations in the United States by January 19, 2025, unless the Supreme Court intervenes to lift or delay the imposed ban.
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on January 10, focusing on claims from TikTok, its users, and the Department of Justice regarding the ban’s potential First Amendment violations. Additionally, President-elect Donald Trump has urged the Court to allow the incoming administration time to negotiate a political resolution to the matter. It remains unclear whether the justices will consider this plea.
The ban stems from a law signed by President Joe Biden in April 2024 after receiving strong bipartisan support in Congress. The administration asserts that ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, poses a significant national security risk due to potential obligations to share user data with Chinese authorities. However, TikTok counters this claim, arguing that there is no evidence to suggest China has ever attempted to access such information.
TikTok and ByteDance have expressed willingness to collaborate with the US government to address concerns and mitigate the law’s “most severe consequences.” However, they warned that even a brief suspension could result in significant losses, including a third of the platform’s daily US users and a substantial decline in advertising revenue.
