A law that could lead to a ban on the popular social media platform TikTok today received a greenlight from a federal appeals court, reports TechCrunch.

Its owners ByteDance unsuccessfully argued the law violates the first amendment of free speech.

The U.S. is threatening to ban the platform unless TikTok rids itself of Chinese ownership.

The U.S. claims TikTok poses a national security risk because it fears the company could be forced to provide confidential data about its users to the Chinese government.

“The Government has offered persuasive evidence demonstrating that the Act is narrowly tailored to protect national security,” the court said in its opinion quoted by the Washington Post.

So, what could happen next? The law is expected to take effect on January 19. However, US News reports ByteDance is expected to appeal all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, thus delaying implementation of the law.

President-elect Trump is scheduled to take office on the 20th of January, the day after the law is currently scheduled to take effect. He has said he will not allow TikTok to be banned.

However, tech companies could face fines into the millions of dollars if they make TikTok accessible to users.

“The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said. He called the potential ban “censorship.”

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