US Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban law

The US Supreme Court has upheld a law that bans TikTok in America unless its China-based parent company ByteDance sells the platform by this Sunday.

TikTok had challenged the law, arguing it would violate free speech protections for the more than 170 million users it says it has in the US. But that argument was rejected unanimously by the nation's highest court, meaning TikTok must now find an approved buyer for the US version of the app or face removal from app stores and web hosting services. The White House said it would fall to incoming President Donald Trump's administration, which takes office on Monday, to enforce the law. Trump vowed to make a decision in the "not too distant future".

TikTok has been contacted for comment. Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers voted to ban the video-sharing app last year, over concerns about its links to the Chinese government. TikTok has repeatedly stated it does not share information with Beijing. The law gives TikTok's owner, ByteDance, until 19 January to sell the US version of the platform to a neutral party to avert an outright ban.