Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban, Impacting U.S. Social Media Landscape

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a law mandating TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest ownership, citing national security concerns. The ruling affirms the First Amendment isn't violated by the measure, signed by President Biden. The decision impacts TikTok's U.S. operations, potentially leaving 170 million users in limbo.

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled in favor of the federal law demanding TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a U.S. ban, citing national security threats. The justices reached a unanimous verdict, with a 9-0 decision, underscoring the critical nature of the concerns related to data privacy and foreign control.

The decision comes after the law garnered bipartisan support in Congress and was signed by President Joe Biden. Despite acknowledging TikTok's role as an important platform for expression for over 170 million Americans, the Court echoed the necessity for divestiture to counter potential threats from China.

As a deadline looms over TikTok's fate in the U.S., the uncertainty affects its business partners like Apple and Google, who may soon be legally constrained from hosting the app. The conversation regarding TikTok's future is now set to transition to the next presidential administration, with incoming President Donald Trump signaling a possible reassessment of the ban.

(With inputs from agencies.)