The Supreme Court upheld The law requires TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the popular app or face a ban in the United States on national security grounds.

This decision comes days before the law’s deadline (Sunday, January 19) and has major implications for the 170 million Americans who use TikTok. Reuters reports.

The justices unanimously agreed that the law did not violate First Amendment protections and was biased by national security concerns about free speech.

The law, which passed with broad bipartisan support, is intended to address concerns about TikTok’s data collection practices and its ties to China, which is seen as a foreign adversary.

The court noted that although TikTok provides a platform for expression, Congress has determined that the app’s relationship with China poses serious security risks, including the potential misuse of US data and influence operations.

TikTok and ByteDance have appealed the law, arguing that it violates freedom of expression. However, the Supreme Court affirmed a lower court’s ruling, with the justices stating that the law targets national security, not protected expression. The Biden administration defended the law, citing concerns about China’s control over the app and its access to sensitive data. However, Trump recently hinted that he wants to keep TikTok alive and kicking.

TikTok representatives warned that the law would hurt their business, including their user base, advertisers and employees. The app employs 7,000 people in the United States and has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the country.

Despite this, provisions of the law prevent TikTok from operating in the United States unless ByteDance sells it to a US company, a process that could take months.

What do you think will happen? Let me know in the comments!