TikTok’s woes in America doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. After an appeals court rejected their plea for more time, TikTok and its parent company ByteDance are racing to the Supreme Court. They need to block a law that forces ByteDance to sell TikTok by January 19th, or the app could be banned in the U.S.
This all started because the U.S. government is worried about national security. They think TikTok’s Chinese ownership could mean American user data is at risk. TikTok, on the other hand, says their data is stored safely in the U.S. and managed by Oracle, with content moderation done locally.
The court’s decision came after TikTok warned that the law would shut down one of America’s favorite apps, used by over 170 million people every month. But the court wasn’t convinced, saying TikTok didn’t show any past cases where a similar law was blocked while waiting for a Supreme Court review.
A TikTok spokesperson said they’re taking the fight to the Supreme Court, which has a history of protecting free speech. If the law isn’t overturned, TikTok will be banned unless ByteDance sells it by January 19th. The law also gives the U.S. government the power to ban other foreign-owned apps over data security concerns.
The U.S. Justice Department argues that Chinese control of TikTok is a national security threat. TikTok disagrees, saying their data is stored in the U.S. and managed by Oracle, with content moderation done in the States.
The decision now rests with President Joe Biden, who could grant a 90-day extension, and then with President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20th. Trump, who tried to ban TikTok in 2020, has said he won’t allow the ban to happen.
Meanwhile, the heads of Google and Apple have been told to be ready to remove TikTok from their app stores by January 19th.
