The North American Supreme Court ruled, this Friday, that the social network TikTok can be banned in the United States, starting this Sunday. The judges thus rejected the social network’s appeal that sought to prevent a law, signed last year by Joe Biden, which dictated a ban on North American territory, if the app was not sold by its owner, ByteDance.
The Supreme Court’s decision means that, from January 19th, both Google and Apple are prohibited from offering the social network in their app stores. As reported the Texas public radio stationnon-compliance with this rule can result in fines of US$5,000 (around R$4,900) for each user who manages to access the short video platform.
“There is no doubt that for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinct and expansive form of expression (…) but Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to resolve their national security concerns regarding collection practices of data and the relationship with the foreign adversary,” the court wrote in an unsigned opinion.
Donald Trump spoke out about the decision, saying he will decide what to do as soon as he takes office. “Ultimately, the decision is up to me, so you’ll see what I do,” said the Republican in an interview with the television channel CNN.
“Congress gave me the decision, so I will be the one to make the decision”, he replied when asked about the possibility of reversing the ban.
The Supreme Court’s ruling comes after, last Friday, defense lawyers for TikTok and ByteDance were heard, along with the government.
According to the American security office, the social network has threatened national security by collecting sensitive data from users. TikTok, on the other hand, argued that the legislation passed by Biden violated the First Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.
TikTok CEO thanks Trump for “support”
Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok, thanked “the support of a President who truly understands our platform – a President who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating more than 60 billion views of your content in the process.”
In the statement released in a video to which Expresso had accessChew argues that “TikTok is a place where people can create communities, discover new interests, and express themselves – including more than 7 million American businesses that make a living and gain new customers using our platform.”
And he thanks “U.S. users” for making the TikTok community “such a rich and vibrant space,” promising to continue to “do everything in his power to ensure” the platform thrives as an online home “for limitless creativity and discovery, as well as a source of inspiration and joy for years to come.”
Source: expresso.pt