In a surprising turn of events, President-elect Donald Trump has called on the U.
S. Supreme Court to delay the enforcement of a law that could potentially ban the widely-used social media app TikTok or necessitate its sale.
Trump argues that he should be given the opportunity to seek a "political resolution" to the issue after he assumes office. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in this case on January 10.
According to The Guardian, the law in question mandates that ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, must sell the platform to an American company or face a ban. The U.S. Congress had voted in favor of this ban in April, unless ByteDance divests the app by January 19. TikTok, which boasts over 170 million US users, and its parent company have been fighting to have the law overturned. However, if the court does not rule in their favor and no divestment takes place, the app could effectively be banned in the United States on January 19, a day before Trump's inauguration.
This move by Trump marks a significant shift from his stance in 2020 when he attempted to block the app in the U.S. and force its sale to American companies due to its Chinese ownership. It also highlights the considerable effort made by the company to establish connections with Trump and his team during the presidential campaign.
"President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute," stated D John Sauer, Trump's lawyer who is also the president-elect's choice for US solicitor general. He further added, "Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Acts deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case, thus permitting President Trumps incoming administration the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case."
In December, Trump had a meeting with Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, shortly after expressing his fondness for the app and his preference for allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States for at least a little while. The president-elect also mentioned that he had received billions of views on the social media platform during his presidential campaign.
TikTok has previously stated that the justice department has misrepresented its ties to China, arguing that its content recommendation engine and user data are stored in the US on cloud servers operated by Oracle, and content moderation decisions affecting US users are made within the country.
On the other hand, free speech advocates have argued to the Supreme Court that the U.S. law against TikTok mirrors the censorship regimes implemented by the U.S.' authoritarian adversaries. The justice department maintains that Chinese control of TikTok poses a continuing threat to national security, a position that is supported by most US lawmakers.
On Friday, Austin Knudsen, the Montana attorney general, led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief, urging the Supreme Court to uphold the national TikTok divest-or-ban legislation. This ongoing legal battle underscores the complex intersection of technology, politics, and national security, and the outcome will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications.
Login