Fight for survival: Tiktok goes to the US Supreme Court

Tiktok is going to the US Supreme Court to prevent an impending end in the country at the last minute. The app operators submitted an urgent application. According to a US law that came into force in April, the video app must change hands by January 19th. Otherwise it should be banned from the app stores in the USA.

President Joe Biden can extend the deadline by another three months – but only if there are promising sales negotiations by then. Tiktok has so far refused to even consider changing ownership.

Last week, Tiktok failed in a lawsuit against the law in an appeals court. The app claims to have 170 million users in the USA.

Chinese influence and espionage are feared

The video platform belongs to the China-based company Bytedance. The law points to the risk that China could gain access to Americans’ data and exert influence.

Tiktok argued before the appeals court that the law violated the freedom of speech enshrined in the US Constitution. However, in its decision, it pointed out, among other things, that the law corresponds to long-standing regulatory practice and that the US Congress does not want to suppress certain statements.