The Chinese social network could be banned this Sunday, January 19 in the United States.
The US Supreme Court on Friday unanimously approved the entry into force of a law threatening an imminent ban on the very popular social network Tiktok if its Chinese parent company refuses to sell it.
The Court's nine justices concluded that the challenged law did not violate the First Amendment of the US Constitution guaranteeing freedom of expression. The law, adopted in April and which is due to come into force on Sunday, sets a deadline of January 19 for Tiktok's parent company, Bytedance, to transfer the application to another owner, under penalty of ban in the United States.
A transfer deemed necessary
The Supreme Court's decision comes a week after it considered the fate of Tiktok. “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.
The social network has long been accused by Washington of serving as a spy tool for Beijing, by transmitting information to the Chinese authorities. Accusation that Bytedance has repeatedly denied.
-The Supreme Court's decision, however, may not spell the end of Tiktok in the United States. Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20, one day after the social network was banned, has repeatedly said he wants to save it. He would also consider doing so with a decree postponing his ban for 60 to 90 days, while his administration negotiates a sale or finds an alternative solution.
The White House also said American users should still have access to the platform and that the timing of the Supreme Court's decision means it should be handed over to the Trump administration. “Tiktok should remain accessible, but simply under U.S. ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in crafting this law,” she told Reuters.
