TikTok makes final attempt to block imminent ban before US Supreme Court

TikTok is to appear before the US Supreme Court today (10th January) in a final attempt to block its imminent ban in the US.

The move, which would require tech giants such as Apple and Google to remove the the social media platform from their app stores and inhibit updates, was passed in congress last year. The decision was made in an attempt to force ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, to sell the popular app. Failure to sell will result in the ban being enforced from Friday 19th January, and TikTok shutting down in the US.

Per the BBC, the US government is arguing that without a sale, TikTok could be used by China as a tool for spying and political manipulation. The social media site has rejected that claim and said that a ban would violate the free speech of the 170 million or so users of the platform in the US.

President-elect Donald Trump has made an unusual attempt to influence the case having dropped his earlier support for the ban. He has pleaded with the Supreme Court to give him and his new administration time to reach a “political resolution” rather than deciding the case right now.

TikTok and ByteDance are attempting to fight the ban alongside a number of high-profile users of TikTok in the Supreme Court. “Rarely if ever has the court confronted a free-speech case that matters to so many people,” lawyers representing the users of the social media platform wrote, per the Associated Press. 

The Supreme Court’s decision is expected to be made within days. 

Last year, TikTok announced the closure of its music streaming service, which had been available in  Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Singapore and Mexico. 

Last May, music owned by Universal Music Group returned to TikTok following a licensing agreement reached between the label and the app.  UMG (Universal Music Group) had previously removed its tracks from the platform in January that year due to the expiration of its licensing agreement.  As a result, videos featuring music from artists like Taylor Swift, Björk, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar, as well as electronic music artists Aphex Twin, Skrillex, Knife Party, and many others were muted from videos.