U.S. Supreme Court considers the future of TikTok

Supreme Court considers possible TikTok ban

FOX 13's Kylie Jones provides an update on the ongoing Supreme Court case that threatens to ban the app in the U.S. and details what that could mean for content creators and small business owners.

TAMPA, Fla. - The popular app, TikTok could go dark in nine days if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a law signed last year.

In the spring, President Joe Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, giving TikTok nine months to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be erased from U.S.-based app stores.

TikTok.

That deadline is January 19.

READ: TikTok US ban: Supreme Court to hear arguments over whether popular app stays or goes

On Friday, the Supreme Court heard arguments from lawyers representing TikTok and lawyers for the Biden Administration.

"What happens after January 19 if you lose this case?" a SCOTUS Justice said.

"At least as I understand it, we go dark," an attorney for TikTok said. "Essentially, the platform shuts down."

TikTok’s lawyers argued that the law restricts free speech under the First Amendment.

"It’s got to at least consider the consequences of shutting down a speech platform used by 170 million Americans against the benefits of an alternative," an attorney for TikTok said.

One Justice asked what TikTok’s speech is considered.

Justices appeared skeptical of the app’s argument and, instead, focused more on the Biden Administration’s argument that the app’s Chinese ownership poses a national security risk.

The Biden Administration says China could manipulate content and collect data from millions of Americans.

READ: Supreme Court considers possible TikTok ban

Aside from providing entertainment and giving people around the world a way to connect virtually, TikTok has become a launching pad for business.

"I started my business, really, with TikTok and social media and sharing my skill sets, you know, at home when people didn't have access to my hands," said Liliana Cruz, a holistic esthetician and facial reflexologist. "And, you know, it's how I gained an income."

Millions of creators have profited off the app and have grown their businesses through posting content and gaining followers.

READ: Brooksville bride brings wedding ceremony to dying grandmother, garners 1M views on TikTok

Cruz says a ban would impact how she runs her business daily.

"I have an audience on there, and that audience is going to be left like, ‘Where do we go now?’" Cruz said. "Some people don’t know my Instagram handles, or they don’t know my YouTube handles, so they just go to TikTok, and they only know me there, and once I’m gone, they’re not going to be able to find me."

A post on Liliana Cruz's TikTok page.

Ella Davar, a longevity dietician, also uses the platform to reach clients around the world. She says the app has increased her business and given her a way to connect with more people.

Davar says they’re hopeful that the app will remain available in the U.S., but if not, they’ll have to get creative with how they create content in the future.

"It's definitely going to impact us," Davar said. "But, for better or for worse, I feel like we're going to have to embrace it in either outcome."

A post on Ella Davar's TikTok page.

The future of TikTok is still unclear at this point.

READ: TikTok search results full of misinformation, analysts say

Attorneys for TikTok asked the Supreme Court for a preliminary injunction to buy some breathing space.

"Given the enormity of this decision, given the complexity of this case, it would make perfect sense for the court to enter an administrative stay," an attorney for TikTok said.

The January 19 deadline is one day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Trump has previously signaled possible support for the app.

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