AMN
An appeals court has ruled that TikTok must be sold by January 19 or face a shutdown in the US, supporting a law passed by Congress to protect national security.
The court disagreed with TikTok’s claim that the law violated free speech rights. Judge Douglas Ginsburg wrote that the government was protecting freedom from a foreign threat.
Attorney General Merrick Garland praised the decision, saying it blocks the Chinese government from using TikTok to gather US data and influence content. TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The law, signed by President Biden, bans TikTok from app stores and internet hosting services unless sold. Companies that don’t comply could face heavy fines.
This deadline is important as it comes before Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, and he could push for changes to the law.
TikTok, which has about 170 million US users, was previously targeted by Trump over national security concerns, but Biden revoked his ban. India banned TikTok and 58 other apps in 2020 over national security concerns.