Legal experts, privacy groups and parents alike praised the Supreme Court’s Friday decision upholding a federal law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance, but called it “anti-democratic.” Some people considered it a “target”.
The ban is scheduled to take effect on Sunday.
“There is no question that TikTok provides a unique and far-reaching source of expression, participation, and community for more than 170 million Americans,” the court wrote in its unsigned decision. did. “However, Congress has determined that the sale is necessary to address widely held national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationships with foreign adversaries.”
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Former Vice President Mike Pence turned to X, calling the decision “a victory for the privacy and safety of the American people.”
“This legislation is the result of bipartisan cooperation, and I commend the authors and supporters in Congress for enacting this important national security law,” he continued. The Chinese Communist Party has been told it can no longer obtain data on American citizens. The incoming Trump administration must be prepared to comply with this TikTok divestment law and prioritize American privacy and security. ”
Legal experts, privacy groups and parents alike hailed the Supreme Court’s Friday ruling upholding the federal law banning TikTok as a victory, although some deemed it “anti-democratic.” (St. Petersburg)
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) similarly said the Supreme Court “correctly rejected TikTok’s lies and propaganda disguised as legal arguments” in its X posts.
“ByteDance and its Chinese Communist Party bosses had nine months to sell TikTok by Sunday’s deadline,” the senator wrote. “The very fact that communist China is denying a sales license makes it clear that TikTok is a communist spy app. The Supreme Court correctly rejects TikTok’s lies and propaganda disguised as legal arguments.” did.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the decision was “not surprising. The answer is that the Chinese government needs to relinquish control of TikTok.”
Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Crisis Network, echoed Cotton’s opinion, saying the high court “appreciates the danger that the Chinese Communist Party could access and maliciously deploy the data of hundreds of millions of Americans. ” said in a statement.
Read the Supreme Court’s ruling on the TIKTOK Act – Click here for app users
It is noteworthy that President Biden maintained his position of enacting a law banning social media apps, instead leaving enforcement to President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration.
“I look forward to the incoming Trump administration vigorously enforcing this important national security law,” Severino said.
Allie Marais, executive director of the United Parents of America, also posted about X’s reaction to the event. “This is a huge win for parents! Children will be freed from the toxicity of TikTok, its powerful and dangerous algorithms, and dangerous effects.”
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the impending ban, which is scheduled to go into effect Sunday. (AP photo)
“Our elected officials retain the authority to protect our security from our most powerful foreign adversaries,” Michael Rucci, founder and CEO of State Almore, said in a statement. I’m very proud that the highest court in this country agreed.” . “This decision vindicates the tireless work that so many patriotic organizations, including State Armor, have done over the last year to make the public and legislators aware of the dangers posed by TikTok.”
Rucci went on to call for TikTok to be sold to a U.S. company “or immediately cease all operations in the United States in accordance with the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
Others were disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision, including David Greene, director of human rights at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who called the decision “anti-democratic.”
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“Closing down or forcing the restructuring of communications platforms based on concerns about foreign propaganda or anti-national manipulation is a deeply anti-democratic tactic, and the United States This has been condemned worldwide.”
Similarly, Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, issued a statement to Fox News Digital saying he believes the court’s decision was “wrong.”
“Although it was unanimous, I think the court was wrong,” Chemerinsky said. “The government uncritically accepts its argument that allowing China to collect information would harm national security, and it has not made any decisions about what kind of information is being collected and what impact it could have. There was no explanation as to whether there was one.
It is notable that President Joe Biden has maintained his position of enacting a law banning social media apps, instead leaving enforcement to President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
“The impact on speech of banning a platform used by 173 million people in this country is staggering,” he continued.
Just last year, Congress required TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the company by January 19th. The law was later signed into law by Biden.
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When the law was passed, Congress specifically cited concerns about the app’s Chinese ownership, with lawmakers arguing that the app could be weaponized and that massive amounts of money, including the roughly 170 million Americans who use TikTok, This means that it may be used to accumulate user data.
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Haley Chi-Sing is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can contact her at @haleychising on X.
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