Supreme Court to hear case of law that could ban TikTok

In a brief two-page order, the high court on Wednesday agreed to hear TikTok’s challenge to a federal law that could ban the social media and video-sharing platform in the United States. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would implement a ban on Jan. 19 unless China-based ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, sells TikTok’s U.S. operations. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law in April.

What did the Supreme Court say? The court scheduled oral arguments for Friday, Jan. 10, nine days before the ban would take effect. Attorneys representing TikTok and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will have two hours to argue whether the legislation, as it applies to TikTok and ByteDance, violates the First Amendment.

Why the controversy over TikTok? The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act received bipartisan support from lawmakers. Supporters of the law cite concerns that TikTok’s overwhelming popularity and Chinese ownership create security and censorship issues. Proponents of the law are also concerned about China using the app to collect sensitive data on American users.

Meanwhile, ByteDance argues that the law is unconstitutional and illegally singles out TikTok for legislative punishment, violating equal protection and due process principles. ByteDance also says the law violates the Constitution’s Fifth-Amendment protections against uncompensated property seizure.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on Trump’s meeting earlier this week with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.