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The Biden administration maintained Friday that it will not actively enforce a federal law aimed at banning the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, instead putting any action in the hands of the incoming Trump administration.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling Earlier in the day, he confirmed the impending ban, which will take effect on Sunday.
“The Administration, like the rest of the country, has been waiting for the decision that has just been made the supreme court of the united states on the TikTok matter. President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, even since Congress overwhelmingly and bipartisanly sent a bill to the president’s desk: TikTok should continue to be available to Americans, but simply under U.S. or other ownership. that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement shortly after the decision was made.
He added: “Given the mere fact of the moment, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law must simply fall to the next Administration, which will take office on Monday.”
SUPREME COURT IS SKEPTIC OF BLOCKING US TIKTOK BAN: WHAT TO KNOW
A U.S. official told the Associated Press on Thursday that Biden would not enforce the ban that will go into effect the day before he leaves office. Such a move inadvertently leaves the fate of the social media app in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration.
President Joe Biden maintained he will not enforce the TikTok ban after the Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday upholding the federal law. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)
“There is no question that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, a means of engagement, and a source of community,” the Supreme Court wrote in its unsigned ruling Friday. “But Congress has determined “That divestment is necessary to address their well-founded national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and its relationship with a foreign adversary.”
READ THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON THE TIKTOK LAW – APP USERS, CLICK HERE
The court continued: “For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights. The judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is affirmed.”
The official, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the Biden administration would leave implementation of the law to Trump. (Getty Images)
Last year, Congress required ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to divest the company by January 19. Biden later signed the law.
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When the law was passed, Congress specifically noted concerns about Chinese ownership of the app, which members said meant the app had the potential to be armed or is used to accumulate large amounts of user data, including that of the approximately 170 million Americans who use TikTok.
President Joe Biden maintained he will not enforce the TikTok ban after the Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday upholding federal law that would ban the Chinese-owned social media app unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company. (Anna Moneymaker)
During oral arguments, Biden administration lawyers argued that Chinese ownership of the app posed a “serious” national security risk to American users. TikTok’s lawyers, on the other hand, argued that such a ban restricted free speech protections under the First Amendment.
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First Amendment challenges must be reviewed under strict scrutiny, placing a higher burden of proof on the government when attempting to justify the constitutionality of a law. In this case, the First Amendment protections at issue must be designed to serve a compelling government interest, narrowly tailored to achieve that interest.
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
