THE YEAR IS STILL YOUNG. But it's time for a bonus Digital Politics. I'm Mark Scott, and on Jan 10, the US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over whether TikTok's should be banned in the United States on Jan 19 (if it's not sold by then.)

It marks the second event in a pretty eventful week in the world of social media. Meta announced on Jan 7 it was ending its fact-checking program and overhauling its content moderation policies. My take on that here.

At stake in the TikTok hearing, at least on paper, is whether the US governmenthas the right to outlaw a foreign-owned social media company — all in the name of national security. In response, TikTok and some of its users accuse Washington of illegally constraining their free speech rights under the First Amendment.

You'll likely hear a lot about the case, both on Jan 10 and in the build-up to the prospective ban/divestiture ahead of the Jan 19 deadline within the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. You can watch the oral arguments from 10am ET / 5pm CET here.

Much of what will be said won't get to the nub of the issue: That TikTok (and its popularity with mostly young Americans) is now entrenched in an increasingly open geopolitical dispute between the US and China.

Let's get started:

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