Supreme Court to Hear TikTok's Appeal Against Potential U.S. Ban on January 19, 2025, Citing First Amendment

Dec 18, 2024, 08:08 PM

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear TikTok's appeal against a law that could lead to the app's ban in the U.S. unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests its ownership by January 19, 2025. The court will consider whether the law, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, violates the First Amendment by potentially restricting the free speech rights of over 170 million American users. Oral arguments are scheduled for January 10, 2025, just nine days before the law is set to take effect. TikTok and ByteDance argue that the law is unconstitutional and that a divestiture is not feasible within the given timeline. The Biden administration defends the law as necessary for national security, citing concerns about data privacy and the potential for foreign influence.