TikTok prohibition is upheld by the US Supreme Court, but the battle is far from finished

Now that the US Supreme Court has ruled that a TikTok ban is lawful, the site is slated to go down in the United States on January 19 - but Trump may be able to save it. 

The US Supreme Court has upheld a ban on the popular video streaming service TikTok, which is scheduled to take effect on January 19.

The embargo will oblige US companies to prevent users from accessing or upgrading TikTok via app stores or internet browsers until the app's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells it to a US company by January 19th.

TikTok's challenge to the statute, which the Supreme Court began considering on January 10, said that it violates the US Constitution's guarantee of free speech. On the same day, the court heard arguments in a separate case, in which a lawyer for TikTok content creators claimed that a prohibition violated their constitutional rights. 

However, US solicitor general Elizabeth Prelogar stated that the TikTok ban is intended to deter foreign spying rather than restrict free speech. 

The US government claims that the Chinese government might utilize TikTok to collect sensitive personal information on hundreds of millions of Americans, which could then be used against individuals.

The Supreme Court unanimously agreed with the government's position, finding against TikTok and individual creators in both instances. "There is no doubt that TikTok provides a unique and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and a sense of community to over 170 million Americans.

" However, Congress has determined that divestment is required to address its well-founded national security concerns about TikTok's data gathering tactics and relationship with a foreign adversary," the ruling adds.

According to Reuters, TikTok will shut down the app for US users on January 19, the same day the ban takes effect. But this may not be the final twist in the legal saga. US President Joe Biden will leave office on January 20, the day after the ban takes effect. 

According to AP News, an official in Biden's administration has claimed that he will not execute the legislation. Instead, the ban's strength is determined by the acts of President-Elect Donald Trump's incoming government.

During his first term in office, Trump first advocated for a ban on TikTok. However, he has now shifted his position and is in favor of letting the site continue to operate in the United States. He could ask lawmakers to change or repeal the law, or he could order the government to stop enforcing it after he takes office on January 20.