US Supreme Court agrees to hear TikTok’s challenge to looming ban

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The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear TikTok’s bid to block a law that would ban or compel the sale of the video platform over its links to China.

The top justices signalled on Wednesday that they are willing to reconsider a decision by a lower court that upheld the law, but they stopped short of issuing an injunction to immediately suspend the US government’s effort to block TikTok.

The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the case on January 10, nine days before the government’s deadline to impose the ban.

US President Joe Biden approved the law, dubbed the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, in April after years of proclaimed concerns that the popular social media app may be used to steal Americans’ data and manipulate public opinion.

At the core of the case is determining whether banning TikTok is a violation of free speech rights granted by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The government argues that the ban falls under legitimate regulations of foreign-owned companies.