The US Supreme Court has agreed to review ByteDance's challenge to a law that would ban TikTok in America from January 19.
“The case is set for oral argument on Friday, January 10, 2025,” read the filing, which noted that the justices will hear a two-hour oral argument.
“The parties are directed to brief and argue the following question: whether the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, as applied to petitioners, violates the First Amendment.”
The Supreme Court agreeing to hear TikTok's case is the first victory, albeit small, that the incredibly successful social media platform has scored as it seeks to challenge accusations of US user data being compromised by China-based parent company, ByteDance.
ByteDance has repeatedly denied that user data is compromised, but several months ago, in a bipartisan vote, the US Congress passed a law that demanded ByteDance divest from TikTok or be banned in the US by January 19. The law was signed by US President Joe Biden.
During his first term in the White House, president-elect Donald Trump voiced concern about potential data risks surrounding TikTok but, during his 2024 run for president, he joined the platform and quickly gained millions of followers.
Earlier in the week, Mr Trump said he had a “soft spot” for TikTok, but did not say whether he might potentially save the platform from the ban.
He could try to convince Congress to repeal the law, but that would be a long shot, as the legislation had bipartisan support.
Mark MacCarthy, a senior fellow at the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown Law in Washington, pointed out that the Supreme Court essentially deferred action on injunctive relief, pending the forthcoming oral argument.
"This doesn’t prejudge the decision," he said.
"If, after the argument, the court feels it is likely to reject the law in whole or in part, it would grant the injunction then."
Ultimately, he believes the Supreme Court will uphold the circuit court's decision.
“It will probably give full discretion to the government with a rational national security demand conflicting with the First Amendment,” he said, before explaining his own personal stance on the law that puts TikTok's US future in jeopardy.
“A TikTok ban would be terrible on policy grounds but it should withstand constitutional challenge,” he said, saying that he thinks the law is too rooted in a confrontational US policy towards China which could quickly escalate.
David Greene, civil liberties director and senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit group promoting civil liberties in the tech world, said that EFF was pleased that the Supreme Court decided to hear TikTok's argument, adding that the DC Circuit Court which upheld the ban legislation failed to factor in First Amendment arguments, and instead relied on unproven national security fears.
"The TikTok ban itself and the DC Circuit's approval of it should be of great concern even to those who find TikTok undesirable or scary," he said, in part.
"Shutting down communications platforms or forcing their reorganization based on concerns of foreign propaganda and anti-national manipulation is an eminently anti-democratic tactic, one that the US has previously condemned globally."
TikTok issued a brief statement several hours after the Supreme Court announced it would hear the company's challenge to the law.
"We're pleased with today's Supreme Court order," the statement read, in part.
"We believe the Court will find the TikTok ban unconstitutional so the over 170 million Americans on our platform can continue to exercise their free speech rights."
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Australia (15-1): Israel Folau; Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Kurtley Beale, Marika Koroibete; Bernard Foley, Will Genia; David Pocock, Michael Hooper (capt), Lukhan Tui; Adam Coleman, Izack Rodda; Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson.
Replacements: Tolu Latu, Allan Alaalatoa, Taniela Tupou, Rob Simmons, Pete Samu, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua, Jack Maddocks.
Race 3
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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