In a surprising move, President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to hold off on enforcing a law that could either ban TikTok or force its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app to an American company. Trump says he needs more time after taking office to try and resolve the situation politically.
What’s Happening?
TikTok, a wildly popular app with over 170 million U.S. users, is facing a looming ban. A law passed by Congress says ByteDance must sell TikTok by January 19, or the app will be banned in the U.S. The Supreme Court is scheduled to discuss this case on January 10.
This deadline puts TikTok in a tough spot: if the court doesn’t stop the law, and no sale happens, TikTok could disappear in the U.S. the day before Trump officially becomes president.
Why Is This Important?
TikTok is loved by millions, especially young people, for its fun videos and creative content. But the U.S. government is worried about national security, claiming TikTok’s Chinese ownership could put users’ data at risk.
In the past, Trump wanted to ban TikTok too, but now he seems to have changed his mind. He even met with TikTok’s CEO in December and said he has a “warm spot” for the app, partly because he received billions of views on TikTok during his campaign.
What Does TikTok Say?
TikTok argues that it’s not a threat to the U.S. It says user data is stored safely in the U.S. on servers run by Oracle, and decisions about content moderation for U.S. users are made in America, not China.
TikTok and its supporters, including free speech advocates, believe banning the app would be unfair and could resemble the censorship seen in some authoritarian countries.
What’s Next?
The Supreme Court will decide whether to pause the January 19 deadline, giving Trump’s team time to find another solution. Meanwhile, many lawmakers and the Justice Department still believe TikTok is a national security risk.
If the ban goes through, millions of Americans might lose access to TikTok. For now, the future of this popular app hangs in the balance, and everyone is waiting to see what the Supreme Court decides.
