TikTok warns of consequences if US SC allows ban

During Supreme Court arguments regarding a law that could force the sale or ban of TikTok in the U.S., the lawyer for TikTok and its parent company ByteDance warned that if Congress could impose such measures on TikTok, other companies could also become targets.

The law, which has a deadline of January 19 for ByteDance to divest from the popular app or face a ban over national security concerns, is being challenged on constitutional grounds.

The companies argue that the law infringes on the First Amendment by limiting free speech. They have requested at least a delay in the law's enforcement.

Noel Francisco, representing TikTok and ByteDance, warned that a Supreme Court ruling in favor of this law could set a precedent for similar laws affecting other companies.

While some justices seemed inclined to uphold the law, others raised concerns about its potential impact on free speech.

Jeffrey Fisher, the attorney for TikTok creators challenging the law, pointed out that Congress seemed to focus solely on TikTok, despite the presence of other major Chinese companies, such as the e-commerce platform Temu, which also have millions of American users.

Fisher questioned why such companies, with similar data risks, were not being targeted in the same way.

The law was signed by President Joe Biden, and his administration is defending it.

The deadline for ByteDance to divest from TikTok coincides with the day before Republican Donald Trump is set to take office as Biden’s successor.