TikTok’s appeals to protect free speech are met with skepticism at the US Supreme Court
News

TikTok’s appeals to protect free speech are met with skepticism at the US Supreme Court

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Oral arguments before the US Supreme Court on Friday TikTok‘S possible ban Across the country, tensions between U.S. national security concerns surrounding foreign ownership and the First Amendment’s right to free speech underscored tensions.

At the heart of the debate was whether a government-imposed “sell or ban” measure would be a disproportionate response and potentially violate free speech, or whether the risks posed by data security and foreign influence would justify such a comprehensive step.

The more than two-hour hearing raised fundamental questions about how to balance national security with the rights of hundreds of millions of American users amid fears that their data is being collected by TikTok, a Chinese technology company Byte Dancecould one day be used by the mainland government against US interests.
The questions asked by the judges showed an obvious tendency to lean more towards this Focus on national security concerns than the free speech arguments put forward by TikTok and its content creators.
Jeffrey Fisher of the O'Melveny Law Firm, who represents TikTok content creators, is leaving the company after attending oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Friday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Jeffrey Fisher of the O’Melveny Law Firm, who represents TikTok content creators, is leaving the company after attending oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Friday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, for example, suggested that the law targeted ByteDance as a non-American company and not TikTok. Roberts said Congress doesn’t care about TikTok’s content, but rather who owns the company.

Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked about the risk of the Chinese government using Americans’ data to “develop spies, defraud and blackmail people.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *