WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday left in place a law that would ban TikTok, the popular social media app that for years has raised national security concerns, unless its parent company sells it.  “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the court wrote in its ruling. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.” A bipartisan law enacted last year requires ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the platform by Sunday or face exclusion from U.S.-based app stores. TikTok fought the law all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing First Amendment rights, but did not prevail and now faces a choice of whether to sell the app. Trump’s move next The 27-page ruling created a bit of a dilemma for President-elect Donald Trump, who now supports TikTok staying on Americans’ cell phones despite wanting to ban it during his first administration. Trump wrote Friday in a post on his social media site, Truth Social, that he will address the issue once he takes office on Monday. “I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A,” Trump wrote. “It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!” Trump issued an executive order in 2020 to ban the video platform unless it broke from ByteDance, but reversed his position last year. Trump’s attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, cited “pending litigation” and declined to directly answer a question about whether she would direct the Justice Department to enforce the TikTok ban during her confirmation hearing Wednesday. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration Monday, according to a source familiar with the planning. Chew will not be the only tech executive sitting nearby as Trump takes the oath of office. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, are expected to be in attendance. Both donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural. Bipartisan backing for law The law requiring TikTok’s parent company to sell the app or lose access to the American social media market received bipartisan support in the House last year, following a 352-65 vote in March. The measure cleared Congress as part of a larger supplemental package a month later. President Joe Biden signed it into law. However he is leaving the Trump administration the choice of whether to enforce the law. “President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the President’s desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement. “Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday.”  Congress and the Biden administration pointed to warnings from national security officials about ByteDance’s ties to China’s government as the top reason to force its parent company to sell the app. TikTok maintains that it is majority owned by global investors, including the Susquehanna International Group and Blackrock, though roughly 20% remains in the hands of its Chinese founders. Democratic senators made an eleventh-hour pitch on Wednesday to extend ByteDance’s deadline to divest from TikTok, but Republicans blocked the effort.  Last updated 11:47 a.m., Jan. 17, 2025 The post U.S. Supreme Court upholds ban on TikTok unless it’s sold as deadline nears appeared first on The Lexington Times.