President-elect Donald Trump has called on the U.S. Supreme Court to pause the implementation of a law that could either ban TikTok or force its sale to an American company.
According to Reuters, Trump argues that he should have time after taking office to pursue a “political resolution” to the issue.
The court is scheduled to hear arguments in the case on January 10. The law, passed by the U.S. Congress in April, mandates that TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, sell the platform to an approved American company by January 19 or face a ban in the country.
In 2020, Trump wanted to ban the app in the U.S. and push for its sale to American firms because of its Chinese ownership.
The U.S. Justice Department has maintained that Chinese control of TikTok poses a continuing threat to national security, a position supported by most U.S. lawmakers.
TikTok is currently banned in several countries, including India, Iran, Senegal, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Somalia. The social media platform has over 1.5 billion users worldwide, according to Sprout Social, with around 49 million users in the Philippines.
In the Philippines, similar concerns led to discussions of a potential ban in 2023, resulting in the prohibition of military personnel from using the app.
Featured image from Unsplash
