TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have filed an emergency appeal with the US Supreme Court to block enforcement of a law that effectively bans the platform from operating in the US. 24 Channels with reference Reuters.

The companies say the injunction is necessary to give them time to appeal a lower court decision that upheld the law. A similar request was made by a group of TikTok users in the USA.

TikTok faces ban threat

• Legislation passed by Congress in April and signed into law shortly thereafter requires ByteDance Sell ​​TikTok by January 19, 2025or you will face a nationwide ban.
• U.S. officials, including the Department of Justice, cited national security concerns and argued that: TikTok collects large amounts of user dataIt could allow foreign actors to influence the content Americans see, including location and private messages.
• December 6 Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit He rejected TikTok’s claim that the law violates the First Amendment, which guarantees free speech. TikTok says Americans who are informed about potential risks have the right to continue using the app.
• The platform warned that the court’s decision could set a dangerous precedent that would allow Congress to ban services “simply by pointing to the risk of speech being influenced by a foreign entity.”

TikTok location

TikTok claims that banning the app, even for a short period of time, could result in the loss of up to a third of its users in the US. The company insists there is no immediate threat to national security and is asking the Supreme Court to give it more time to consider the legality of the ban.

ByteDance calls TikTok the “modern American public forum” and warns that blocking it would be “extraordinary,” especially given its popularity among half the US population.

What does Trump say about blocking TikTok?

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, who has previously supported efforts to ban TikTok, recently said he “holds a warm place in my heart for TikTok” but would “consider blocking it.” According to Reuters, Trump also met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.

If the ban goes into effect, Apple and Google would be required to remove TikTok from their app stores, effectively cutting off US users’ access to the platform. The same restrictions may be applied to other foreign applications if it is determined that they pose similar risks in terms of national security.

TikTok’s fate is currently hanging in the balance as the Supreme Court considers an emergency appeal. If the request is denied and the law goes into effect, it would mark the first major removal of a major social media platform from the U.S. market for national security reasons.