TikTok appeals to Supreme Court to prevent potential US ban

TikTok filed a request with the US Supreme Court in a last-ditch attempt to block a law that requires its parent company, ByteDance, based in China, to sell the app or face a ban starting Jan. 19, 2025.

Read more: TikTok challenges US law in court regarding its sale, ban

This action follows a decision by a federal appeals court in Washington that upheld legislation passed by Congress in April, which argues that TikTok poses a national security threat. The Justice Department raised concerns that TikTok could access sensitive data from millions of American users, including location information and private messages, as well as the potential to manipulate content.

In its legal challenge, TikTok contends that enforcing a ban would infringe on the First Amendment rights to free speech guaranteed by the US Constitution, as reported by Reuters.

In its petition to the Supreme Court, TikTok emphasized that a temporary shutdown of the app would result in substantial user loss and financial decline, negatively impacting its attractiveness to advertisers and content creators. The company is also seeking a delay in the law's implementation to give the incoming US administration time to assess the situation and reach a decision.

Notably, President-elect Donald Trump previously expressed his intent to save TikTok during his campaign, despite his earlier efforts to ban the app in 2020.