The United States Supreme Court announced a unanimous decision to uphold a federal law that bans TikTok starting this Sunday unless the platform is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. This decision stems from mounting concerns related to Chinese national security laws, which require organizations within China to assist with intelligence gathering. Meanwhile, in Canada, TikTok's operations have been ordered to dissolve following a national security review, yet the app continues to remain accessible to Canadian users.
In response to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling, TikTok has initiated a legal challenge against Canada's order to dissolve its business. Notably, the Canadian directive did not mandate individuals to cease using the app. As the deadline for the U.S. ban looms, TikTok remains unavailable for download in the U.S. on both Apple and Google app stores. Canadian users, however, have noticed a disruption in new content from American creators as the app went dark in the United States. Despite this, the app began reappearing for Canadian users shortly thereafter.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew expressed that former President Donald Trump had committed to collaborating with ByteDance to find a resolution that would keep TikTok operational in the U.S. This follows years of increasing scrutiny from U.S. authorities concerning potential security risks posed by Chinese legislation.
President-elect Donald Trump has indicated his intention to pause the court-ordered ban with an executive order upon assuming office. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump mentioned that his order would extend the time frame before the federal law's prohibitions take effect. Although U.S. users received in-app messages indicating a temporary ban, some reported that the platform became operational again on Sunday afternoon.
