ALBAWABA - ByteDance, the Chinese technology company that developed novel video-sharing social networking applications, most notably TikTok, received a ruling from a US federal court yesterday. The court’s decision requires the company to withdraw all its investments from the US by early 2025 or risk a complete ban on TikTok in the country.
TikTok to be banned in the US
TikTok, the social media platform that allows users to create, share, and discover short-form videos, ban decision resembles a victory for the US Department of Justice and TikTok opponents.
Approximately 170 million Americans use TikTok, and a potential ban would have a major impact on the app's influence within the digital and social landscape in the United States.
Notably, the US government warned previously that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on, collect data from, and influence American citizens.
Approximately 170 million Americans use TikTok, and a potential ban would have a major impact on the app's influence within the digital and social landscape in the United States. (Shutterstock)
Michael Hughes, TikTok’s spokesperson stated earlier: “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue. Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed, and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people. The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.”
TikTok supporters speak up
The recent decision was criticized widely by many advocates assuring that this ban violates the rights to free speech in the United States.
“Banning TikTok blatantly violates the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans who use this app to express themselves and communicate with people around the world. The government cannot shut down an entire communications platform unless it poses extremely serious and imminent harm, and there's no evidence of that here,” said Patrick Toomey, deputy director of the ACLU National Security Project.
What will happen next
Experts say that if the Supreme Court does not reverse the ban decision, President Joe Biden could extend TikTok’s sale deadline by an additional 90 days.
If the case continues beyond that, the final decision would move to President-elect Donald Trump.
Impact on the economy
Following the decision, the stock market saw significant changes for major TikTok competitors.
Meta’s shares rose by about 3%, while Alphabet’s shares increased by more than 1%. Both companies are considered major competitors to TikTok.
