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TikTok faces a pivotal week ahead of looming US ban

Updated Jan 5, 2025, 1:10pm EST
techNorth America
A person uses their phone.
Florion Goga/Reuters
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The US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments this week that will determine if TikTok will cease to exist in the country.

In written pleas, the Chinese-owned app and the Department of Justice offered warring accounts of China’s influence and whether the US should mediate Americans’ access to foreign propaganda.

US President-elect Donald Trump has asked the court to delay a decision until he takes office on Jan. 20 — a day after the ban is due to take effect.

Trump, who first proposed banning the app in 2020, has since revived its chance of survival: “Why would I want to get rid of TikTok?,” the Republican posted Friday, alongside a graphic showing favorable statistics for Trump-associated accounts.

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