The app TikTok, which is owned and operated by Communist China and a law to ban the app is expected to take place Jan. 19 unless the U.S. Supreme Court reverses the law.
TikTok can avoid the ban by having the American-based company cut all ties with its China-based owner. This would likely require a sale in the neighborhood of $80-$100 billion.
Donald Trump’s legal team weighed in asking for the Court to delay the ban until he takes office. In the brief, Trump’s lawyers don’t suggest whether The Court should uphold or reverse the ban.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hold oral arguments on the cast on Jan. 10.
This one creates an opportunity for a great discussion. Does TikTok’s algorithim support Free Speech? Do companies owned by and people who are not U.S. citizens have constitutional rights (the answer is no)?
Nearly 20 percent of U.S. adults receive their news from TikTok, which has increased 500 percent since 2020, and about 40 percent of those under the age of 30 receive their news from TikTok.
Section 310 of the Communications Act of 1934 says that just 20 percent of media companies, or parent companies, can be owned by foreigners. These rules do not currently apply to social media companies. The FCC does not actively regulate content on social media platforms under Section 310.
This then begs the question of how much government interference is a good balance when it comes to foreign countries, in this case a Communist Country, from influencing Americans and allowing the foreign country’s algorithm to determine the speech that is heard by Americans.
Jamie Miller’s columns can be read at https://reasonablearguments.substack.com/
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