TikTok’s US ban is looming, and a new ruling by an appeals court has removed one of the last reasons for hope that the ban might not go into effect.
ByteDance’s options for stopping the ban grow slimmer
Sabrina Willmer writes for Bloomberg:
TikTok’s Chinese parent company faces a ban in the US if it doesn’t meet a Jan. 19 deadline to sell the video-sharing app as a result of a federal appeals court ruling Friday.
A three-judge panel in Washington unanimously upheld a new US law enacted to protect national security and user privacy, ruling that it didn’t violate free speech protections under the Constitution’s First Amendment. The decision leaves the Supreme Court as the company’s last realistic hope for stopping the law from taking effect.
TikTok’s US ban has been a long time coming. Legislation was passed all the way back in April mandating that owner ByteDance had to sell off its US operations by early 2025 or else be prohibited in the country.
Although TikTok’s ban has been especially controversial, today’s ruling shows a consistent approach from current government officials regarding carrying through with the ban.
One big unknown in all of this, however, is the effect of the incoming US administration.
As Bloomberg notes, the January 19 TikTok deadline is one day before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Despite being a proponent of the TikTok ban during his first term, Trump recently has grown opposed to the ban and indicated he may take action to stop it.
The closer we get to January 19, the more likely it seems that the ban will actually take effect. But there’s still plenty of time for things to change, even if ByteDance’s options keep shrinking.
Do you think TikTok will actually be banned? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
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