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The internet is buzzing after the Supreme Court upheld a law banning TikTok in the U.S. on grounds of national security.
On Friday (January 17), SCOTUS justices unanimously declined to rescue TikTok, owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance, from a law that will effectively ban the app from being used in the U.S. on Sunday (January 19).
The justices ruled that the law didn't violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protection against government abridgment of free speech. Friday's verdict by the nation's highest court affirmed a lower court's decision to uphold the measure, which was challenged by TikTok, ByteDance, and several of the app's users.
"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary," the court wrote in its opinion.
The law banning TikTok was initially passed with a bipartisan majority in Congress last year and signed by President Joe Biden. Biden's administration cited concerns over China's potential to exert control over the app.
"TikTok's scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects, justify differential treatment to address the government's national security concerns," the court said in the opinion.
In a statement, the Biden administration said it would not take action in implementing the law and the responsibility "must fall to the next administration," which is set to kick off on Monday (January 20) with President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
"TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law," the current administration said in a statement.
Social media users took to various platforms to share their thoughts on TikTok seemingly shutting down in the U.S. on Sunday. See their reactions below.
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