Legal Stakes of the TikTok Ban

The recent legal challenges surrounding TikTok focus on the law passed by Congress that could lead to the app's ban or require its parent company, ByteDance, to divest. The deadline for any divestiture is set for January 19, coinciding with the end of the Biden administration. TikTok has countered the law, asserting that it violates the First Amendment rights of its users and that it essentially functions as a punishment against a single company, which lawmakers cannot do. As this court case unfolds, it becomes crucial to examine the implications for 170 million Americans who actively use the platform.