Justice Department Statements on Supreme Court’s Decision in TikTok, et al. v. Garland

The Justice Department issued the following statements from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on the Supreme Court’s decision in TikTok, et al. v. Garland:

“The Court’s decision enables the Justice Department to prevent the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to undermine America’s national security,” said Attorney General Garland. “Authoritarian regimes should not have unfettered access to millions of Americans’ sensitive data. The Court’s decision affirms that this Act protects the national security of the United States in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution.”

“We welcome today’s decision by the Supreme Court. The Justice Department has long warned about the national security harms from PRC control of TikTok — including the ability to gather sensitive information about tens of millions of Americans and to covertly manipulate the content delivered to them,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “The Court’s ruling also underscores that the bipartisan legislation upheld today is focused on protecting Americans, not restricting free speech. Rather, this legislation is about breaking the ties that bind TikTok to the government in Beijing, in a manner consistent with the Constitution. The next phase of this effort — implementing and ensuring compliance with the law after it goes into effect on January 19 — will be a process that plays out over time.”