TikTok lawyers, creators react to possible TikTok ban
TikTok’s lawyers and some of their creators opened up about possible repercussions of a TikTok ban after the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case.
With TikTok’s last day coming, one Massachusetts senator is hoping to provide an out for the app.
Sen. Ed Markey announced last night via press release that he would be proposing a bill to the Senate that would extend TikTok’s ban deadline past this Friday.
“The stakes here are high,” Markey said. “That’s why I will soon introduce the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act to extend the deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban by an additional 270 days.”
Markey addressed the darker aspects of TikTok, saying that the app does pose serious dangers to the privacy and mental health of young Americans, saying he will hold TikTok accountable. He then said that a ban of the app would have dire effects on millions of Americans.
“These communities cannot be replicated on another app,” Markey said. “A ban would dismantle a one-of-a-kind informational and cultural ecosystem, silencing millions in the process.”
TikTok is set to be shut down in the United States on Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court intervenes or it is sold to an American owner.
Why is TikTok being banned?
Lawmakers have rallied to shut down the platform in the United States over national security concerns because of its China-based ownership.
President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to delay the ban until after he takes office so his administration can try to reach a resolution.
Markey’s press release said that the Massachusetts senator, Sen. Rand Paul, and Congresswoman Ro Khanna submitted a brief pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the circuit court decision that upheld the TikTok ban.
“In the brief, Senators Markey and Paul and Representative Khanna argued that the TikTok ban lacks evidence and directly conflicts with the First Amendment, undermining the rights of over 170 million Americans who use the platform,” the press release said.
Is Elon Musk buying TikTok
Bloomberg reported yesterday that Beijing officials have been weighing the option of Elon Musk acquiring TikTok, should the Supreme Court uphold the ban or the social media company fails to be sold to an American owner by Jan. 19.
According to BBC News reporting, TikTok has denied the report of China mulling over a Musk purchase of TikTok, calling it “fiction.”
Melina Khan contributed to the reporting of this story.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.