The Supreme Court seemed to lean Thursday toward upholding a law forcing Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell off TikTok, with all nine justices indicating national security concerns posed by the social media app outweighed potential threats to free speech.

"You're ignoring the major concern here" of China manipulating content through TikTok's industry-envied algorithm and harvesting user data, Chief Justice John Roberts tells TikTok lawyer, Trump's former solicitor general.

President Donald Trump's inauguration was packed with the ultra-rich, some seated closer to the incoming president than his incoming cabinet. The personal net worth of just three of these people combined (Mark Zuckerberg,

WASHINGTON - US tech multi-billionaires – including Mr Elon Musk, Mr Mark Zuckerberg and Mr Jeff Bezos – were given prime positions at Mr Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan 20, in an unprecedented demonstration of their power and influence.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to accept an invitation from President-elect Donald Trump to attend his inauguration.

US tech multibillionaires — including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos — were given prime positions at Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, in an unprecedented demonstration of their power and influence in the White House.

A majority of the justices appeared more concerned about the national security implications of the popular app’s Chinese ownership than about the restrictions on free speech the law would impose.

Claims that TikTok had been sold circulated after the app went dark in response to a U.S. federal ban, then returned a short time later.

ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is required to sell the app to a U.S.-based buyer or face a nationwide ban.

President Trump has paused the federal ban on TikTok for 75 days, giving ByteDance, the app's China-based owner, time to sell its U.S. assets. In a bold proposal, Trump suggested that a future buyer give the United States a 50% ownership stake in a joint venture.

The president-elect told NBC News that extending the deadline before TikTok is banned in the United States would be “appropriate.”