December 17th 2024.
It seems like TikTok is going to be sticking around for a while. Recently, President-elect Donald Trump sat down with the CEO, Shou Zi Chew, at his lavish Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. This meeting was held on December 15th, which also happened to be the same day that TikTok's leaders made a bold move and asked the Supreme Court to intervene and block a law that would effectively ban the social media platform. According to a report by CNBC, this law would prohibit the use of TikTok in the United States if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not sell the company.
TikTok's plea to the Supreme Court came just three days after the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This law is a major cause of concern for the platform's leaders as it could potentially result in the loss of their American audience. When questioned about the possible ban, President Trump expressed his willingness to examine the situation closely. He even went on to admit that he has a soft spot for TikTok, acknowledging the role it played in boosting support among young voters during the November elections.
In its request to the Supreme Court, TikTok's lawyers argued that the law passed by Congress is an extreme and unprecedented restriction on free speech. They pointed out that TikTok is one of the most popular and influential online communication platforms in the country, and banning it would silence the voices of millions of Americans who use it to express themselves on various topics. The lawyers also highlighted the fact that the ban is set to take effect just one day before the presidential inauguration, creating an atmosphere of censorship and hindering the free flow of information.
According to the New York Times, there are over 170 million active TikTok users in the U.S. alone. The platform's lawyers brought attention to the fact that small businesses that rely on TikTok for their revenue would lose over $1 billion in just one month if the ban is enforced. Additionally, content creators on the app would also suffer a loss of nearly $300 million in earnings in the same period. This would have a significant impact on the economy and could potentially result in job losses.
As the legal battle between TikTok and the U.S. government continues, it is clear that the platform's leaders are fighting to protect the rights and voices of their users. With the immense popularity and influence of TikTok, it is no surprise that this issue has garnered widespread attention. The fate of the app and its millions of users now rests in the hands of the Supreme Court.
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