The US Supreme Court has begun hearings on a law that requires the Chinese company ByteDance to sell its popular TikTok platform because of threats to national security. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
US lawmakers are concerned that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on and influence public opinion.
According to the new regulations, ByteDance has until January 19 this year to sell the platform, or its operations in the United States will be terminated. However, the company is appealing this decision, claiming that such a law violates the First Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. TikTok's representative, Noel Francisco, warned that the adoption of this law could set a precedent for other similar measures against foreign-owned companies.
He cited the example of AMC, which was previously owned by Chinese investors, and noted that under this approach, the government could require the company to censor movies according to its political preferences.
During the hearings, the judges expressed their willingness to uphold the law, although some of them noted that the move could have serious implications for free speech rights. TikTok is currently used by more than 170 million Americans, and any changes to its availability could affect a significant portion of the population.
US Supreme Court is likely to uphold TikTok ban: details11.01.25, 04:39 • [views_72937]