President-elect Donald J. Trump has asked the Supreme Court to delay a law requiring TikTok to be sold or shut down by January 19, citing his own expertise in resolving the issue through political means once he takes office.
The deadline falls just one day before Mr. Trump’s inauguration and raises concerns about the impact on 170 million American users of the popular social media platform. In its brief, TikTok argues that the law violates the First Amendment by stifling speech based on unsubstantiated predictions of potential Chinese national security threats.
Mr. Trump’s brief takes a distinctive tone, touting his own expertise in dealing with social media and emphasizing his knowledge of TikTok as one of the most powerful and influential users on the platform. He argues that he can resolve the issues surrounding TikTok without delaying its operation.
The law, passed by bipartisan congressional majorities, aims to address national security concerns posed by China’s control of TikTok, which harvests sensitive data about tens of millions of Americans and could be used for covert influence operations.
However, a brief filed on behalf of users of the service argues that stripping Americans of their First Amendment rights is not an appropriate response to the geopolitical competition between the US and China. The court will hear arguments in the case next month, with its ruling deciding the fate of TikTok’s operation in the United States.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear both TikTok’s challenge and a separate one from creators of content on and users of the site, Firebaugh v. Garland, No. 24-657. The court’s decision will have significant implications for free speech and national security in the US.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/27/us/politics/tiktok-ban-supreme-court-trump.html