Supreme’s won’t stop effort to close or tranfer ownership of TikTok in America….

The government offered two rationales for the law: combating covert disinformation from China and barring it from harvesting private information from Americans. The court was divided over whether the first justification was sufficient to justify it. But several justices seemed troubled by the possibility that China could use data culled from the app for espionage or blackmail.

The justices explored the practical implications of a ruling against TikTok and seemed intrigued by the possibility that it could provide the jolt required to persuade ByteDance, TikTok’s parent, to pursue divestiture.

The court has put the case on an exceptionally fast track, and it is likely to rule by the end of next week. Its decision will be among the most consequential of the digital age, as TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon powered by a sophisticated algorithm that provides entertainment and information touching on nearly every facet of American life.

Here’s what else to know:

• Arguing on behalf of TikTok: Noel Francisco, contended that the law burdens TikTok’s speech, so the First Amendment applies. The government “has no valid interest in preventing foreign propaganda” and cannot constitutionally try to keep Americans from being “persuaded by Chinese misinformation,” he said. That is targeting speech, which the First Amendment does not permit, he added.

• Arguing on behalf of the government: Elizabeth B. Prelogar, the solicitor general, countered that the act does not violate the First Amendment. “All of the same speech that’s happening on TikTok could happen post-divestiture,” she said, adding, “All the act is doing is trying to surgically remove the ability of foreign adversary nation to get our data and to be able to exercise control over the platform.”

• Lawmakers passed the law with rare bipartisan support, citing national security concerns about the company’s Chinese ownership and worries that Beijing could use the app to gather data about Americans and spread propaganda. But much of the information that the Biden administration used to make that case remains hidden from public view.

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