TikTok ban will be weighed by Supreme Court. Here’s what to watch Friday

Washington CNN — The only branch of the federal government without a social media presence will weigh the fate of one of the nation’s most popular video-sharing apps on Friday, delving into a viral fight over whether TikTok’s ties to China threaten national security. Video Ad Feedback ‘Losing the community I built’: TikTok creator braces for ban 03:07 - Source: CNN That, combined with the data China collects both through TikTok and through well-publicized hacks, he said, “are enough of a national security threat to support the government’s effort to force divestment of TikTok to a US entity.” Jaffer, who served under former Republican Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker on the committee, was one of several former national security officials who submitted a brief to the Supreme Court backing the government. “Courts may need to confront such questions when applying the First Amendment to certain platforms.” Some legal experts said that Barrett’s comments could be seen as the justice previewing her willingness to back the federal ban, which was widely expected to eventually reach the high court. “I expect that we have a preview of the court’s ultimate disposition in this case in Justice Barrett’s concurrence … where she really was looking to probably this law where she said that the First Amendment does not extend to foreign-owned corporations,” said Gus Hurwitz, a senior fellow at Penn Carey Law School who specializes in tech law and online speech issues. “President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government – concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” attorneys for the president-elect wrote, referring to Trump’s own effort during his first term to ban TikTok.