A US appeals court has rejected TikTok’s emergency request to delay a law that could ban the app unless its parent company, ByteDance, divests by 19 January. TikTok now faces a race to appeal to the Supreme Court to avoid the looming ban.
Court Rejects Emergency Motion
On Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied TikTok and ByteDance’s plea to block the law, stating that no precedent exists for suspending an act of Congress while awaiting Supreme Court review. The decision forces TikTok to seek a ruling from the highest court to stop the potential ban.
Ban Threatens Millions of Users
TikTok and ByteDance argued that the law would effectively shut down the platform, which serves over 170 million monthly users in the US. They warned that this move threatens one of the country’s most popular platforms for free expression.
National Security Cited as Justification
The law mandates ByteDance to sell TikTok by 19 January or face a ban, citing national security concerns over Chinese ownership. The US Justice Department asserts that TikTok’s ties to China pose risks regarding the collection of American user data.
TikTok disputes these claims, stating that its data storage and content moderation for US users are managed within the United States on Oracle-operated servers.
Leadership Transition Could Decide TikTok’s Fate
The court’s ruling places TikTok’s future in uncertain hands. President Joe Biden can grant a 90-day extension on the divestment deadline. If no extension is given, the matter will fall to President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on 20 January.
While Trump previously sought to ban TikTok in 2020, he has recently expressed opposition to the ban during his campaign.
TikTok Prepares for Supreme Court Battle
With time running out, TikTok must now appeal to the Supreme Court to block the law before the deadline. The outcome of this case will determine whether TikTok remains accessible to millions of users in the United States or faces a nationwide ban.