The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has requested the US Supreme Court to delay the enforcement of a law that could either ban the widely-used social media app TikTok or compel its sale, asserting that he needs time after assuming office to seek a “political resolution” to the matter.
The court is scheduled to hear arguments regarding the case on January 10.
This legislation mandates TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest the platform to an American entity or face a potential ban. The US Congress approved a measure in April stipulating a prohibition unless ByteDance sells the application by January 19.
With over 170 million users in the US, TikTok and its parent company have actively contested the law. However, if the court does not rule in favor of TikTok and no sale is made, the app could face an effective ban in the United States on January 19, just one day before Mr. Trump is set to take office.
This move also highlights the company’s significant efforts to build rapport with Mr. Trump and his team throughout the election campaign.
“President Trump is not taking a stance on the underlying merits of this dispute,” stated D John Sauer, Mr. Trump’s attorney and his nominee for US solicitor general.
“Rather, he politely requests that the Court consider postponing the Act’s divestment deadline of January 19, 2025, while examining the merits of this case, thereby allowing President Trump’s incoming administration the chance to explore a political resolution regarding the issues at hand,” he added.
Previously, Mr. Trump met with TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew in December, shortly after he mentioned having a “warm spot” for the app and indicated a preference for TikTok to continue operating in the United States for at least some time.
The legislation mandates ByteDance either to sell the app to an American company or confront a ban.
The president-elect also shared that he garnered billions of views on the platform during his campaign for presidency.
TikTok has stated that the Justice Department has misrepresented its connections to China, insisting that its content recommendation algorithm and user data are housed in the US on cloud servers managed by Oracle Corp, while content moderation decisions impacting US users are also conducted within the country.
Free speech advocates expressed to the Supreme Court that the US legislation regarding TikTok mirrors the censorship practices imposed by authoritarian regimes that the United States opposes.
The US Justice Department has contended that the Chinese ownership of TikTok presents an ongoing risk to national security, a viewpoint widely endorsed by lawmakers across the country.
A coalition of 22 attorneys general, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, filed an amicus brief yesterday urging the Supreme Court to uphold the national legislation mandating TikTok’s divestment or ban.
