A federal appeals court has decided to keep a deadline for TikTok. By mid-January, TikTok must either be sold or it will be banned in the United States. The court rejected TikTok’s request to pause this rule while the Supreme Court looks at the case. TikTok’s lawyers are planning to take the fight to the Supreme Court, but it’s not clear if the justices will take it on. Some experts think they might because it involves important issues like social media, national security, and the First Amendment.
TikTok is also hoping for help from President-elect Donald Trump, who said he would save the platform during his campaign. TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, asked for a delay after a three-judge panel at the US Court of Appeals supported the government and turned down their challenge against the law. This law, signed by President Joe Biden, requires ByteDance to sell TikTok to a buyer approved by the US government because of national security fears. The government worries that ByteDance could be pressured by Chinese officials to hand over user data or change what people see on TikTok.
TikTok denies these claims and says the government’s arguments are based on possible future worries rather than real evidence. Last week, TikTok and ByteDance asked for a brief pause in the law so the Supreme Court could review the situation, especially as the new Trump administration prepares to take charge. If the law still exists, they say TikTok will shut down by January 19, just one day before Trump takes office again. This would impact over 170 million users in the United States. The companies also note this in their filings.
However, the Justice Department is against TikTok’s request to delay, saying that both sides had agreed on a schedule that allows Supreme Court review before the law kicks in. The appeals court made its decision on December 6, following this plan, according to the Justice Department.