TikTok faces ban in US by Sunday after Supreme Court rejects appeal
Summary
A TikTok ban in the US is set to go ahead on Sunday after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal
What a ban looks like and how it would be enforced remains uncertain. The White House says it will leave enforcement to the incoming Trump administration
Justices ruled that the law passed by Congress asking the app's Chinese owner to sell its stake or face a US ban did not violate free speech rights
The legal drama stems from the US government's national security concerns and TikTok's ties to China
Last year, ByteDance was ordered to sell the app to a US buyer or it would be banned by 19 January - that sale has not yet happened
TikTok is one of the most popular short-form video apps in the world, and is a major part of a multi-billion dollar influencer economyThe US Supreme Court's decision to uphold a law that could ban TikTok in America has disappointed millions of users across the country - many of whom earn money through its use.
But lawmakers argued the social media app's links to China posed a national security threat.
TikTok challenged the legislation in court, arguing it would violate free speech protections for the more than 170 million users it says it has in the US.
The nation's highest court rejected this claim unanimously, meaning TikTok must now find an approved buyer for the US version of the app or face removal from app stores and web hosting services.
One TikTok user told BBC News that the ruling was like "going to work and your office building's just vanished".
While the ban is legally slated to begin Sunday, the Biden administration said it would leave the enforcement of the matter to the incoming president, Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday.
Trump, who pushed for a sale or ban of TikTok in 2020, has vowed to make a decision regarding the platfrom in the "not too distant future". Since his election win, he has indicated that he would like to preserve the shortfrom video app's presence in the US - which has seemingly left TikTok's future openended.
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