DOJ Urges Supreme Court to Uphold TikTok Ban as Trump Seeks Delay

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked the Supreme Court to reject President-elect Donald Trump's request to postpone the implementation of a law mandating TikTok's divestment or ban by January 19, 2025.

The law, passed in April, requires ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell its U.S. operations due to national security concerns over data collection on 170 million Americans. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on the matter on January 10.

Trump's legal team argued for a delay to allow his incoming administration to pursue a political resolution, emphasizing the law's deadline should be extended while the case is under review. Meanwhile, TikTok has petitioned the Supreme Court to block the law, claiming it violates the First Amendment and arguing the selective targeting of the app over other Chinese-owned platforms like Shein and Temu.

The DOJ maintains that ByteDance has failed to demonstrate its likelihood of prevailing in the case, underscoring the national security risks posed by TikTok's data collection capabilities. Should the law take effect, new downloads of TikTok would be prohibited, and existing services would degrade over time. The Biden administration has the option to extend the divestment deadline if substantial progress is made.

Notably, Trump’s stance on TikTok marks a reversal from his 2020 efforts to ban the app outright due to its Chinese ties.