Supreme Court to Rule on TikTok Ban Friday as Trump Seeks to Delay January 19 Shutdown

Jan 16, 2025, 05:46 PM

The United States Supreme Court is poised to issue a decision on whether to ban the widely used video-sharing app TikTok, with the ruling anticipated as soon as Friday at 10 a.m. The potential ban, set to take effect on January 19, could result in TikTok being removed from app stores and eventually becoming unusable, raising concerns among its 170 million U.S. users about the fate of their data and possible alternatives. TikTok faces being shut down or forced to sever ties with its China-based parent company, ByteDance, due to national security concerns. The Biden administration has indicated it does not plan to enforce the ban immediately and is deferring the decision to President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration. President-elect Trump is reportedly exploring options to delay the ban or preserve TikTok's operations in the U.S., possibly through an executive order. Incoming National Security Adviser Mike Waltz stated that measures will be put in place to keep TikTok from "going dark," emphasizing the platform's importance in communicating the administration's "America First" message.