US Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban

The US Supreme Court upheld a law banning TikTok, paving the way for 170 million users in the country to be barred from using the app as of January 19.

In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that the ban did not violate freedom of expression rights, citing legitimate national security concerns, as the Chinese company ByteDance owns the app. The court affirmed that Congress acted constitutionally by requiring the company to sell the app or face a ban.

In a related context, US President-elect Donald Trump announced a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which they discussed topics related to trade, TikTok, and the problem of the spread of the drug fentanyl. Trump noted that the call was positive for both countries, expressing his hope that many common problems would be resolved.

It is noteworthy that the CEO of the “TikTok” application, Xu Ziqiu, will attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony scheduled for next Monday. Informed sources reported that Chiu will sit alongside prominent figures from technology giants such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and Jeff Bezos, according to a report published by the Washington Post.

The ban is expected to test US-China relations, amid diplomatic efforts to avoid escalating tensions.