The ban comes at a time of heightened concern in the US about Chinese espionage.
Cybersecurity firms have suggested that the app is capable of collecting users’ data beyond what they look at on TikTok.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said authoritarian regimes should not have “unfettered access” to Americans’ data and that the decision prevented China from “weaponising TikTok to undermine America’s national security”.
China enacted a law in 2017 that compels Chinese nationals living abroad to co-operate with its intelligence apparatus.
But Beijing has denied it pressures companies to collect information on its behalf and criticised the ban. TikTok has repeatedly stressed it has not been asked for its data.
The app argued the law endangers free speech and would hit its users, advertisers, content creators and employees. TikTok has 7,000 US employees.
Noel Francisco, lawyer for TikTok and ByteDance, told the Supreme Court during arguments that the app was “one of America’s most popular speech platforms”, and said the law would require it to “go dark” unless ByteDance sold the app.
Posting on TikTok after the ruling, the app’s CEO said: “This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.
“We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president [Trump] who truly understands our platform.”
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