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What to know about the Supreme Court TikTok arguments
- The Supreme Court seemed likely to uphold a new law that could force TikTok to shut down in the U.S., with conservative and liberal justices alike expressing skepticism about the company's legal challenge during oral arguments on Friday.
- TikTok could be shut out of U.S. app stores as soon as Jan. 19 without intervention by the court. The law, which Congress passed last year, gave TikTok nine months to separate from its China-based ByteDance or face a ban.
- Government officials have for years warned that TikTok poses national security risks because ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing and must operate under Chinese laws. China, a U.S. adversary, could use the app to collect a vast amount of data on TikTok's American users and spy on them, officials have said.
- But ByteDance, TikTok and a group of content creators claim the law violates the First Amendment and have asked the court to delay or overturn it. The case could have far-reaching implications for free speech.
- Over more than two hours in court on Friday, the justices seemed skeptical of TikTok's arguments. "Congress is fine with the expression. They're not fine with a foreign adversary, as they've determined it is, gathering all this information about the 170 million people who use TikTok," Chief Justice John Roberts said.
- Several of the justices raised concerns about TikTok's collection of Americans' data, and the prospect of China having access to that personal information. Some members of the court seemed less swayed by the government's claim that the law served a compelling national security interest by preventing China from covertly manipulating the content on the app.
- President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to save the app, and could decline to enforce the law when he gets into office on Jan. 20 if the Supreme Court allows it to take effect the day before.
- Read more about the background of the case here, and find updates from Friday's oral arguments below:
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