The US Supreme Court upheld the decision banning TikTok from January 19, 2025, after a federal law ruled that its Chinese owner, ByteDance sell off its operations to an American firm or face ban. For the 170 million users in the country, the TikTok ban means losing their means of earning a livelihood for many.
According to US officials, TikTok threatens the country’s national security because the social media app links to China. ByteDance’s challenge that the ban violated the First Amendment was rejected unanimously by the top court. The ruling was driven by cautions from Joe Biden’s administration, which raised concerns about the short video app’s extensive data collection practices and its links to China.
On the Supreme Court’s ruling, Trump told CNN that the future of TikTok rests with him. Trump added that he needed time to review the situation before reaching any decision in the coming days.
As the Chinese app’s ban looms in the US, Instagram has added new features to Reels. The update allows users to discover the videos that their friends have liked on the app and vice-versa. Additionally, the new update will also give an option to users to ‘start a conversation’ over a reel.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri said, “We want Instagram to not only provide you with a place where you can consume entertaining content but also help you connect over that content with friends.” Additionally, Meta said that the features are set to be launched in the US.
