In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court has upheld a federal law banning TikTok in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the app. The law, which takes effect on Sunday, prohibits app stores from offering TikTok and internet hosting services from hosting the app unless a sale is made to an approved buyer.

The decision comes amid concerns over national security risks posed by TikTok’s ties to China. The US government has expressed concerns that TikTok collects vast amounts of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion.

TikTok has denied that it could be used as a tool of Beijing, and pointed out that the US has not presented evidence that China has attempted to manipulate content on its US platform or gather American user data through TikTok.

The law was passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in April. A three-judge panel upheld the law in December, prompting TikTok’s quick appeal to the Supreme Court.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar defended the law at the Supreme Court, saying that having the law take effect “might be just the jolt” ByteDance needs to reconsider its position. ByteDance has said it won’t sell, but some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire businessman Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok’s US assets.

The decision has significant implications for TikTok’s 170 million users in the US, who will no longer be able to download the app or receive updates once the law takes effect. However, experts say that existing users will still be able to use the app, at least for now.

SOURCE: AP