Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban

The Supreme Court has upheld a law banning TikTok in the United States, paving the way for the platform to go dark on Sunday.

The justices ruled on Friday that the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is constitutional, rejecting TikTok’s argument that it violates the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case last Friday. The justices indicated throughout the proceedings that they were likely to uphold the law, which had previously been upheld by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The government argument on Friday that the law — which granted TikTok’s parent company ByteDance 270 days from its passage to sell the app or face a ban — was simply “trying to surgically remove the ability of foreign adversary nation to get our data and to be able to exercise control over the platform.” 

The Supreme Court’s decision all but seals the fate of the application, which boasts 170 million users in the United States. The law taking effect a day before Donald Trump’s inauguration is notable, as the president-elect has warmed to the app and teased that he could take measures to protect it. Trump even appealed to the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the ban to give him an opportunity to do so — although it’s unclear what exactly he would have done to keep it alive.

This is a breaking news post and will be updated.