Trump Requests Supreme Court to Halt TikTok Ban Over ByteDance Ownership Issue
Washington, D.C. – Former President Donald Trump has officially requested the Supreme Court to intervene and temporarily block a nationwide ban on TikTok. The ban stems from a law passed by Congress in April 2024, mandating that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divest its ownership of the popular social media platform or face a complete prohibition across the United States.
The legislation, aimed at addressing national security concerns, argues that ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government pose potential risks to user data and privacy. TikTok, with over 150 million U.S. users, has been at the center of a heated debate over data sovereignty and tech regulation.
Trump, who has been a vocal critic of Chinese technology firms during and after his presidency, is challenging the legality of the law. In his plea to the Supreme Court, he argued that the immediate enforcement of the ban could lead to irreparable harm to businesses, creators, and free speech rights in the U.S.
The Biden administration has continued to back the Congressional mandate, asserting that the sale of TikTok to a U.S.-based company would resolve security concerns. However, ByteDance has repeatedly denied allegations of sharing user data with the Chinese government.
The Supreme Court’s decision on whether to grant Trump’s request could set a significant precedent for future cases involving international tech giants and U.S. national security. A hearing date has not yet been scheduled.