The Department of Justice and TikTok are requesting a prompt decision from the appellate court regarding the ban against TikTok before it goes into effect. The pending law would require ByteDance to sell TikTok for the platform to remain accessible on app stores in the United States. This law, signed by President Joe Biden, is set to take effect on Jan. 19.
Following the signing of the law, TikTok filed a lawsuit claiming that the ban would violate its First Amendment rights, which was followed by a similar lawsuit filed by TikTok users. All parties involved are now asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to make a ruling on the matter by Dec. 6.
TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, has been at the center of controversy due to concerns about data privacy and national security. The law allows President Biden to designate certain countries as “foreign adversaries” and ban their apps from app stores. Despite some opposition, the law was passed with wide margins in both the House and the Senate.
In a previous letter to the Senate, TikTok admitted to storing some information from its paid creators in China, despite efforts by former President Donald Trump to move data to the U.S. through his “Project Texas” order.
