TikTok users want SCOTUS to think it’s more about dance videos than Chinese international intrigue

CNN —

TikTok, the popular social media platform celebrated for its frothy mix of dance videos, cat antics, news clips and recipes, will wage a substantial First Amendment battle at the Supreme Court on Friday.

As the Biden administration, defending a ban on TikTok, emphasizes the national security risks of the app’s Chinese parent company, TikTok and its allies are trying to shift the focus to the speech rights of millions of Americans and the ordinary fare they regularly see.

TikTok is appealing a formidable lower court ruling that highlighted security threats, specifically the US government’s concern that Beijing will amass data on American users and covertly manipulate TikTok’s content for espionage and other damaging purposes.

President Jimmy Carter shakes hands with Ruth Bader Ginsburg at a White House reception for women federal judges in October 1980.

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The members of the lower court panel, which included the circuit’s chief judge and a long-serving senior judge, represent both sides of the ideological spectrum and enjoy considerable respect at the Supreme Court.

The company and the content creators challenging the impending ban have strategically ramped up their arguments on the dangers of suppressing speech, even if propaganda from a foreign adversary. TikTok has also switched up its legal team for Friday’s arguments. It will be represented at the courtroom lectern by Noel Francisco, a former US solicitor general from Donald Trump’s first term.

Their message: China’s potential for US exploitation is exaggerated. The content creators who’ve also sued similarly turn the lens to the estimated 170