Could TikTok be banned in the US?

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The Supreme Court listened to arguments from both sides for over two hours, wrapping up at 12:39 pm.

Supreme Court Hears Case on TikTok Ban - YouTube

For the backstory,check out our timelineof everything that’s happened so far.

If you want to listen for yourself, the Supreme Court has apublic link to the audio feed.

you’ve got the option to also watch the live stream above.

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Will TikTok survive?

This could be a landmark day for social media and the internet as we know it.

The Supreme Court issued a writ of certiorari on December 18, 2024, to hear the case.

YouTube app open on an iPhone

From there, it scheduled oral arguments for January 10, 2025, which we’re covering today.

Regardless of which way the Supreme Court decides after hearing arguments in the TikTok v. Garland landmark case.

TikTok speaks at 10 a.m ET

The proceedings are set to get underway at 10 a.m. ## Which other app will you switch to?

US Supreme Court with American flag flying in front

Arguments start

Listen to TikTok’s arguments on theSupreme Court’s website.

Running behind

I’m writing this at 10:07 et, and it’s been quiet thus far.

The live stream appears to have started, but there hasn’t been any sound yet.

The Supreme Court livestream

TikTok Inc. is a U.S.-based company that speaks before the court.2.

The app is content-based from beginning to end.3.

The lawyer went into an argument about China owning the Washington Post and making Jeff Bezos print certain things.

TikTok displayed on a smart phone with a USA flag in the background

He even talked about what would happen if the Chinese Government’s children were taken hostage.

It was an analogy but didn’t seem to sway the judges so far.

How long are the arguments today?

How to delete TikTok

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled two hours of oral arguments today in the TikTok case.

However, the session could last longer due to the weight of the ban and its potential wide-reaching effects.

What if TikTok was owned by the Chinese government?

United States Supreme Court | Image Attributed to Duncan Lock, Creative Commons, December 2004

They said the law is about ByteDance divesting rather than restricting anyone’s First Amendment rights.

He argued the company would have to recreate TikTok, leading to a fundamentally different platform.

She said TikTok Inc. could make an algorithm that doesn’t involve ByteDance at all.

Redacted information on a paper

Fisher first talked about the content algorithm and said the government is worried about content.

He argued that a mix of cat and dance videos doesn’t affect national security.

This would mean the government is concerned about the content shown on TikTok to create doubt in leaders.

Cartoon image of hacker stealing passwords

From there, he talked about data security with TikTok, which has user data.

He said Congress isn’t worried about the data because an app like Temu does the same things.

He noted that TikTok is singled out when other companies have the same issue.

Speech bubbles behind fence of barbed wire

He argued that the government’s ban (divesting of ByteDance) is about content manipulation.

Solicitor General of the United States

U.S. Americans think they’re communicating with each other on the app, but China is manipulating the data.

They also asked whether all foreign content tailoring should be banned, citing Politico as an example.

Tape over moth

Which way is the Supreme Court leaning?

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar.

TikTok also asked for the deadline to be moved until after President-elect Donald Trump took office.

Rows of potatoes and straw mulch on a field of organic farm

From the outside looking in, I don’t think their arguments were compelling enough.

Young woman turns laptop away from camera while looking at camera suspiciously.

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