President-elect Donald Trump has petitioned the Supreme Court to pause the implementation of legislation that would force ByteDance to either sell TikTok or face a U.S. ban. The ban is set to take effect on January 19, 2024, one day before Trump's inauguration.
In their filing, Trump's legal team argues that this timing interferes with his incoming administration's ability to manage foreign policy. They emphasize Trump's position as someone with both "dealmaking expertise" and direct platform experience, noting his 14.7 million TikTok followers.
The law in question, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, was enacted due to concerns about potential Chinese government access to U.S. user data and propaganda distribution capabilities. However, civil rights organizations, including the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation, have questioned the evidence behind these security concerns.
While Trump previously attempted to ban TikTok during his first term, he has recently expressed support for the platform, stating on Truth Social: "FOR ALL OF THOSE THAT WANT TO SAVE TIK TOK IN AMERICA, VOTE TRUMP!"
The Supreme Court will hear arguments about the law's constitutionality on January 10, 2024.
This story is developing, and we will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.