A US federal appeals court has ruled that TikTok must sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by January 2025. The court believes this relationship poses a threat to national security and the data of North Americans, which could potentially fall into the hands of the Chinese government without permission.
The ruling was made by three judges from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, who rejected TikTok’s appeal. The judges stated that the initial order against the platform, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April and endorsed by the US Congress, “withstands constitutional scrutiny.”
According to Judge Douglas Ginsburg, “The First Amendment exists to protect freedom of speech in the United States. The Government has acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to collect data on people in the United States.”
If TikTok decides to appeal to the US Supreme Court, the highest judicial instance in the country must make a decision before the order comes into force on January 19. If the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case, the order will be suspended until a final decision is made. TikTok has confirmed its intention to present its case to the Supreme Court, stating that it hopes the court will protect Americans’ right to free speech.
TikTok has denounced the ban, stating that it was conceived and pushed based on inaccurate and flawed information, resulting in complete censorship of the American people. The company claims that the ban will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans in the US and around the world.
Consequences of a TikTok Ban for Users
If the ban is implemented, civil penalties will be imposed on app stores, such as those of Apple and Google, that distribute or update TikTok. Although the app is already installed on millions of phones in the United States, restricting updates will likely undermine users’ ability to access it. Additionally, web hosting companies will be prohibited from helping to distribute the app.