Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to TikTok ban
NBCDEC 4 2024
US Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Divest-Or-Ban Law
Above: In this photo illustration, the TikTok logo is displayed on a phone screen on Nov. 30, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. Image copyright: Asanka Ratnayake/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The TikTok divestment bill passed Congress with broad bipartisan margins, and it is right for the Supreme Court to uphold the law. TikTok has been documented spying on journalists and harvesting broad swathes of information, and it could use its powerful algorithm to shift US public opinion. Given the fact that few American social media firms are allowed in China, this law corrects this asymmetry and makes the country more secure.
Establishment-critical narrative
This decision saw the Supreme Court stifle free speech in an unprecedented way and stir up anti-China hysteria. A hypothetical threat to national security is no threat at all, and there is scant evidence to support claims that TikTok is spying on Americans. This decision is specious given the dearth of privacy regulations for Americans and the unwillingness of the current and future administrations to enforce it.