The US Supreme Court has agreed to review ByteDance’s case challenging a law that could ban TikTok in America starting January 19, 2025. This decision marks a significant step in the legal battle over the platform’s future in the country.
The court has scheduled oral arguments for Friday, January 10, 2025, with a two-hour session planned. The justices will address a key question: Does the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” violate the First Amendment when applied to ByteDance and TikTok?
This review is a small but important win for TikTok, which has faced ongoing accusations of mishandling US user data due to its parent company, ByteDance, being based in China.
ByteDance has consistently denied these claims, but a bipartisan vote in Congress earlier this year passed a law demanding that ByteDance either sell TikTok or face a ban in the US by January 19. President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law.
TikTok’s future has been a point of political contention for years. During his first term, president-elect Donald Trump raised concerns about the platform’s data security. However, during his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump surprised many by joining TikTok and amassing millions of followers.
Speculation has grown about whether Trump might intervene to help TikTok avoid a ban. In a September 5 video posted to his Truth Social platform, he hinted at a possible effort to stop the law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok.
While Trump has expressed a “soft spot” for the platform, he has not confirmed any plans to try to reverse the law. Any attempt to convince Congress to repeal the legislation would be challenging, given its bipartisan support.
