Popular social video platform TikTok may cease operations in the United States on January 19 unless the country’s Supreme Court intervenes, daily.afisha.ru reports, citing the Associated Press.

TikTok representatives have officially confirmed the possibility of ceasing the app’s operations in the United States. This decision will be made if the Supreme Court enacts legislation requiring the Chinese platform to sell its business to a third party and sever ties with its parent company ByteDance. The company has already stated its unwillingness to sell the app.

In December, a US federal appeals court unanimously upheld a law that would ban TikTok on January 19 unless the company is sold or the Supreme Court offers an alternative solution.

TikTok’s lawyers tried to challenge the ban, citing a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution. However, the court rejected these arguments, emphasizing the need to protect freedom of speech and limit the ability of foreign countries to collect data from American citizens.

It Is interesting to note the position of the 2024 election winner Donald Trump, who now opposes the TikTok ban, although he supported the idea earlier in his first term. Although Trump has asked the Supreme Court to delay the ban, the impact of his position on the court’s final decision remains unclear.