TikTok: ban in the United States confirmed for January 19, 2025
TikTok
TikTok is a social network for sharing video clips which has quickly established itself as a leader in this field, available as a mobile application, you can take it anywhere with you.
- Downloads:
5534 - Release date:
01/16/2025 - Author :
TikTok - License:
Free license - Categories:
Video – Communication
- Operating system:
Android, Online service, Windows 10/11, iOS iPhone / iPad
The United States Supreme Court has made its decision: TikTok is banned in the United States because its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, did not sell the application to an American company.
TikTok ban confirmed
“There is no doubt that TikTok provides more than 170 million Americans with a distinctive and expansive means of expression, engagement and community” notes the Supreme Court in its judgment. “But Congress has determined that divestment is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and its relationship with a foreign adversary.”
If the deadline of January 19, 2025 is maintained, the Biden administration could postpone the application of the law until that of Donald Trump, whose inauguration will take place the next day. However, the promise could not reassure companies like Apple or Google who risk sanctions if TikTok is still available on the App Store and the Play Store after entry into force.
As a reminder, Donald Trump wants to save TikTok without specifying how. While the app will not disappear immediately, TikTok reportedly plans to go beyond legal requirements by completely ceasing its activities if the ban continues.
The judges emphasize that data collection is a common practice but that* “the scale of TikTok and its susceptibility to control by foreign adversaries, combined with the vast quantities of sensitive data collected by the platform, justify differential treatment”*.
A hope of redemption for TikTok?
Among the potential buyers of TikTok, we find Frank McCourt and his Liberty project. The billionaire wants to offer the application without its algorithm to operate on its social network protocol. Anonymous sources report that Chinese officials are considering to turn to Elon Musk as buyer or intermediary.
The Supreme Court rules that the law, when applied to TikTok, is “content neutral” and respects the constitutional criteria since it serves “an important governmental interest unrelated to the suppression of free expression”. Justice considers that it does not restrict freedom of expression more than necessary to achieve this objective.
The decision comes after oral arguments on Friday, January 10, 2025, where lawyers for TikTok and the content creators defended their arguments about a potential violation of the First Amendment. The US government, for its part, spoke of the importance of this law for national security.
