The Supreme Court Ruled On Tiktok — And Nobody Knows What Comes Next

Now that TikTok has yet reached nan extremity of its ineligible options successful nan US to debar a ban, someway its early seems small clear than ever.

The Supreme Court couldn’t personification been overmuch direct: nan Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, arsenic applied to TikTok, withstands First Amendment scrutiny and tin return effect connected January 19th. The tribunal agreed that nan authorities had a compelling nationalist accusation liking successful passing nan norm and that its rationale was contented neutral. The solution projected — forcing Chinese genitor institution ByteDance to divest TikTok aliases spot it ousted from nan US — was ruled appropriately tailored to meet those ends.

Yet nan government’s consequence hardly feels for illustration a triumph lap. In fact, contempt being still nether ByteDance’s control, it’s not clear that anyone successful nan US authorities will moreover enactment for illustration TikTok is banned connected nan 19th.

“TikTok should enactment disposable to Americans, but simply nether American ownership aliases different ownership that addresses nan nationalist accusation concerns identified by Congress successful processing this law,” White House spot caput Karine Jean-Pierre said successful a connection aft nan Supreme Court ruling today. “Given nan sheer truth of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to instrumentality nan norm simply must autumn to nan adjacent Administration, which takes agency connected Monday.” In different words, President-elect Donald Trump will get nan TikTok prohibition dumped successful his lap, and enforcement will beryllium up to him.

Justice Department officials issued their ain confounding statements aft nan ruling. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised nan Supreme Court for letting nan Justice Department “prevent nan Chinese authorities from weaponizing TikTok to undermine America’s nationalist security.” But Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, “The adjacent style of this effort — implementing and ensuring compliance pinch nan norm aft it goes into effect connected January 19 — will beryllium a process that plays retired complete time.”

Trump, who astatine 1 constituent promised to “save” TikTok (albeit with scant detail), said earlier nan ruling connected Friday that he had a “very good” telephone pinch China’s President Xi Jinping, including discussions astir nan app. After nan ruling dropped, he wrote connected Truth Social, “The Supreme Court determination was expected, and everyone must respect it. My determination connected TikTok will beryllium made successful nan not excessively distant future, but I must personification clip to reappraisal nan situation.” Not precisely a resoundingly diligent promise.

A flurry of articles this week suggested Chinese officials are astatine slightest opening to entertain nan thought of trading nan app, moreover reportedly floating nan thought of recruiting Elon Musk to bargain it aliases thief supplier a deal. But those reports were based connected unnamed officials, and truthful far, we’ve heard point from nan Chinese authorities aliases ByteDance to propose they’re earnestly taking steps toward a sale.

Meanwhile, app stores and activity providers — which are ostensibly banned from supporting TikTok starting connected Sunday — personification been quiet astir their plans. Apple and Google, whose app stores support TikTok, and Oracle, which hosts its accusation successful nan US, didn’t respond to requests for remark from The Verge. In his first relationship since nan ruling, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew gave nary penetration into really TikTok would grip Sunday’s deadline and alternatively opted to flatter Trump.

TikTok has reportedly planned to spell acheronian connected Sunday, should nan norm return effect, sloppy of what actions different companies take. So, successful nan end, nan only connection still committed to nan TikTok prohibition deadline mightiness move retired to beryllium TikTok itself.

Whatever TikTok is planning, astatine this point, location are only a less remaining options:

The US authorities managed to push a once-unbelievable governmental proposition mainstream: banning 1 of nan astir celebrated societal media services successful nan country, based partially connected nationalist accusation concerns that personification still ne'er been disclosed. But lawmakers and nan White House ever maintained that their extremity was forcing a discarded of TikTok to a non-Chinese owner. Instead, nan institution remained laser-focused connected exhausting its ineligible options — apparently not moreover engaging overmuch pinch prospective buyers for illustration billionaire Frank McCourt’s Project Liberty. It remains unclear whether China will beryllium consenting to fto ByteDance make a sale.

After overmuch than 4 years of pushing for a TikTok discarded aliases ban, nan US authorities yet sewage what it asked for but not what it wanted. And successful this crippled of geopolitical chicken, TikTok — whether it likes it aliases not — seems to personification won for now.