An advocate holds an indication for TikTok following a information convention outdoors the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Graeme Sloan | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs
TikTok on Monday requested the Supreme Courtroom to dam a legislation that might successfully ban the favored social media app in the USA by Jan. 19.
On the identical day, President-elect Donald Trump met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago membership in Palm Seashore, Florida, NBC Information confirmed.
TikTok needs the Supreme Courtroom to first think about its enchantment of that legislation, which might require its Chinese language proprietor, ByteDance, to promote the app by that date or power Google and Apple to cease supporting TikTok on their platforms within the U.S.
The request got here three days after the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals in Washington, D.C., refused to delay the impact of its ruling upholding the legislation, the Defending Individuals from Overseas Adversary Managed Functions Act.
The appeals court docket in that ruling cited nationwide safety issues raised by members of Congress who backed the legislation.
Trump earlier Monday informed reporters, “We’ll check out TikTok,” when he was requested concerning the potential ban.
“You realize, I’ve a heat spot in my coronary heart for TikTok,” Trump mentioned, pointing to his electoral efficiency amongst younger voters in November.
Trump in his first time period within the White Home tried to ban the app, however throughout the latest marketing campaign mentioned he opposed the legislation handed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden.
In its request Monday to the Supreme Courtroom, TikTok’s attorneys wrote, “Congress has enacted an enormous and unprecedented speech restriction. TikTok is a web based platform that is likely one of the Nation’s hottest and vital venues for communication.”
The corporate’s attorneys argued there’s a “robust public curiosity” in having the Supreme Courtroom overview the appeals court docket ruling upholding the legislation in query.
“The Act will shutter certainly one of America’s hottest speech platforms the day earlier than a presidential inauguration,” the submitting mentioned. “This, in flip, will silence the speech of Candidates and the numerous Individuals who use the platform to speak about politics, commerce, arts, and different issues of public concern.”
In a press release posted on its X social media account, TikTok Coverage mentioned, “The Supreme Courtroom has a longtime document of upholding Individuals’ proper to free speech.”
“At this time, we’re asking the Courtroom to do what it has historically finished in free speech circumstances: apply essentially the most rigorous scrutiny to speech bans and conclude that it violates the First Modification,” the assertion mentioned.
The identical put up mentioned estimates present that if TikTok is banned, small companies that use the app will lose greater than $1 billion in income in only one month, and creators will lose almost $300 million in earnings in a single month.
