Editor-DN
TikTok creators gather before a press conference to oppose the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” pending legislation to crack down on TikTok at the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill on March 12, 2024 in Washington, U.S. are
Craig Hudson | Reuters
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Friday in a case over the future of TikTok in the US, which could ban the popular app as soon as next week.
The justices will consider whether the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversarial Controlled Applications Act, the law that targeted TikTok’s ban and imposes stiff civil penalties for the app “anti” that continues to serve after Jan. 19, Violates the free speech protections of the US Constitution.
It’s unclear when the court will issue a ruling, and if China’s ByteDance continues to refuse to give TikTok to an American company, it could face a full nationwide ban.
How will the user experience change?
About 115 million US TikTok users are active monthly depending on when the Supreme Court makes a decision.
If no word comes before the law goes into effect on January 19 and the ban is lifted, it’s possible that users will still be able to post or engage with the app if they’ve already downloaded it. Have loaded. However, those users will be unable to update or re-download the app after that date, several legal experts said.
Thousands of short-form video creators who generate revenue from TikTok through ad revenue, paid partnerships, merchandise and more will likely need to move their business to other platforms like YouTube or Instagram. .
“Shutting down TikTok, even for a day, would be a big deal, not just for people who create content on TikTok, but for everyone,” said George Wang, staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute. person who shares or views the material,” helped write the institute’s amicus briefs on the case.
“This sets a really dangerous precedent for how we regulate speech online,” Wang said.
Who supports and opposes the ban?
Dozens of high-profile amicus briefs were filed by organizations, members of Congress and President-elect Donald Trump in support of both the government and Byte Dance.
The government, led by Attorney General Merrick Garland, has charged that until ByteDance takes down TikTok, the app remains “a powerful tool for espionage” and “a powerful weapon for covert influence operations.” is
Trump’s brief statement Neither side expressed support, but it asked the court to oppose banning the platform and allow it to find a political solution that would allow the service to continue while addressing national security concerns. allow
The short-form video app played a notable role in the 2024 presidential campaigns of Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, and is one of the most common sources of news for young voters.
In a September Truth social post, Trump wrote in all caps that Americans who want to save TikTok should vote for it. This post was referenced in his friendly brief.
What comes next?
It is not clear when the Supreme Court will issue its decision, but the speedy hearing of the case suggests that the court may issue a decision soon.
Berkeley Law Dean Aaron Chemerinsky said the case would have “huge implications” because of TikTok’s huge user base in the US.
“It’s unprecedented for the government to ban platforms for speech, especially one used by so many people,” Chemerinsky said. “Ultimately, it’s a tension between free speech issues on the one hand and national security claims on the other.”
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