December 17, 2024 – TikTok, the popular social media platform, announced today via a post on X platform that it has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to temporarily halt the impending ban set to take effect on January 19th, pending the progress of its appeal process.
Previous reports indicated that the law mandates TikTok to separate from its parent company, ByteDance, by January 19th, 2025, or face being banned in the United States. This ruling has cast a shadow over TikTok’s future in the crucial American market.
In its petition to the Supreme Court, TikTok alleges that Congress has “imposed a sweeping and unprecedented restriction on speech” and highlights that TikTok stands as one of the “most popular and significant platforms for communication” in the U.S.
ByteDance has stated that, on one hand, it would take engineers several years to familiarize themselves with various code modules to a level sufficient for routine maintenance. On the other hand, the company has expressed its reluctance to grant third-party access to TikTok’s algorithm, thus making it impossible to hand over TikTok’s source code to a new owner.
As TikTok’s fate remains uncertain, its continued operation in the United States hinges on the Supreme Court’s ruling and the ultimate decision of the Trump administration.
