The United States Supreme Court is set to release its opinions at 10 a.m. ET today regarding a controversial law that could force the sale or ban of TikTok in the U.S. This decision comes as part of a broader bipartisan effort in Congress aimed at addressing national security concerns related to the app's Chinese ownership. The court's ruling will determine whether ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, must divest its U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban.
Simultaneously, discussions between American and Chinese leaders are intensifying. In a recent phone call with Chairman Xi Jinping of China, Donald Trump discussed several critical issues, including trade, fentanyl, and TikTok. He expressed optimism about resolving these challenges swiftly and collaboratively.
“I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!” – Donald Trump
In Congress, a bipartisan coalition has pushed for TikTok's sale, citing concerns over user data privacy and national security. However, Donald Trump has shown a more favorable stance towards TikTok, even extending an invitation to its CEO for his inauguration. Despite this warming attitude, if the Supreme Court upholds the law, Trump will be responsible for enforcing it.
“Good morning, US politics blog readers. The supreme court has announced it will release opinions at 10am ET today, as a challenge to a law that will ban TikTok on Sunday unless its China-based owner sells its US business awaits the justices’ decision. As usual, the court did not say how many opinions will be released or on which cases, and thus we will just have to wait an hour or so to find out. Should they decide the TikTok case, we do have some hints on how the justices may rule – in oral arguments last week, they seemed inclined to uphold the law.” – Alaina Demopoulos
Meanwhile, Americans are preparing for the potential loss of TikTok by downloading alternative apps like RedNote. Qian Huang, a professor keen on following Chinese trends, recently downloaded RedNote amid anticipation of a TikTok ban.
“But this week, I woke up and my feed was not the usual feed any more,” – Qian Huang
“It was all English content. That was a bit of a weird feeling for me.” – Qian Huang
The Supreme Court’s decision could significantly impact the digital landscape in the U.S., especially if they allow the sell-or-ban law to proceed. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch have already penned concurring opinions on this case. Should ByteDance fail to secure an American buyer, Joe Biden's administration has indicated it does not plan to enforce the ban during its final hours.