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Court upholds law forcing TikTok ban or sale in the United States

December 6, 2024

A federal appeals court has upheld a law requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to a non-Chinese entity by mid-January or face a ban in the United States.

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit marks a significant escalation in the ongoing scrutiny of TikTok, one of the country’s most popular social media platforms with over 170 million users.

The ruling deals a major blow to TikTok, which had sought to overturn the law on the grounds that it unfairly singled out the app and infringed on the First Amendment rights of its American users. ByteDance has maintained that a sale is unfeasible, citing expected opposition from the Chinese government.

President-elect Donald Trump, who has publicly expressed support for TikTok, now faces mounting pressure to intervene. However, his team has yet to outline a clear plan for rescuing the app. A spokesperson recently stated, “He will deliver,” but provided no further details.

The law, enacted in April, gives TikTok until January 19 to comply or face a nationwide ban. Free speech advocates and content creators who rely on the platform for income have voiced concerns over the app’s potential removal, which could disrupt the digital economy and curtail user access to a platform that has become a cultural phenomenon.

TikTok’s next steps are uncertain. Legal experts anticipate the company will appeal to the Supreme Court, though there is no guarantee the justices will take up the case. Meanwhile, the court’s decision adds urgency to ByteDance’s predicament, with no immediate resolution in sight.

The decision intensifies the debate over TikTok’s role in the U.S. market and highlights broader geopolitical tensions surrounding technology and data security.