TikTok Faces U.S. Ban as Supreme Court and Trump Administration Weigh Next Steps

The popular app could be removed from app stores by January 19 unless ByteDance divests its ownership or legal and political interventions occur.

The U.S. law banning TikTok, signed by President Biden in April, requires ByteDance to sell the app by January 19 or face removal from app stores and web-hosting services.
TikTok has appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the ban violates the First Amendment and could cause irreversible harm to the platform and its users.
President-elect Donald Trump, who previously sought to ban TikTok in 2020, has expressed a willingness to 'take a look' at the situation and met with TikTok's CEO this week.
Legal experts suggest Trump could use presidential authority to delay or reinterpret the law, potentially allowing TikTok to remain operational under U.S.-based restructuring efforts.
Billionaire Frank McCourt has proposed acquiring TikTok without its algorithm, aiming to integrate the platform into his vision for a decentralized internet, though ByteDance has resisted selling.