The American Supreme Court on Friday unanimously approved the entry into force of a law threatening an imminent ban in the United States of the very popular social network TikTok, if its Chinese parent company refuses to sell it.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok provides an important mode of expression, interaction and belonging to a community. But Congress determined that its divestiture was necessary to meet to his well-founded concerns in matters of national security”, estimate the nine judges of the Court.
They therefore conclude that the contested law does not violate the First Amendment of the American Constitution guaranteeing freedom of expression.
In the midst of a strategic confrontation between the United States and China, the American Congress adopted this law in April by a large bipartisan majority, bringing together elected Democrats and Republicans. It aims to prevent the risks of espionage and manipulation by Chinese authorities of TikTok users.
A deadline set for January 19
The law, immediately promulgated by President Joe Biden, sets a deadline of January 19 for the parent company of the social network, ByteDance, to transfer the application to another owner.
-The company is counting on the sympathy of President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20 and has confided his “soft spot” for TikTok. Joe Biden’s government also said on Friday that it would leave it to Donald Trump’s team to decide whether or not to apply the law providing for the ban on the social network if it is not sold. The Republican, for his part, explained that he “needs time” to decide the fate of TikTok.
One of the solutions envisaged in the event of the law being maintained would be for ByteDance to resell its shares to non-Chinese investors, a possibility that the company has constantly rejected.
agences/ther
Swiss
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