TikTok Close to US Ban After Losing Court Appeal

Washington: TikTok came close to being banned in the United States after it lost an appeal on Friday against a law that required the video-sharing app to separate from its Chinese parent company by January 19.

The possible ban could strain US-China relations as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20.

TikTok said it will now appeal to the Supreme Court, which could choose to take up the case or let the D.C. Circuit Court’s decision stand.

“The Supreme Court has a historic record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect them to do the same on this important constitutional issue,” the company said.

TikTok will also look to Trump, who has emerged as an unlikely ally, arguing that the ban would primarily benefit Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta’s platforms.

Trump’s stance reflects broader conservative criticism of Meta’s alleged crackdown on right-wing content, including Trump’s ban on Facebook following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots.

The US government alleges that TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. It also says that TikTok is a tool for spreading propaganda, although China and the app’s owner ByteDance strongly deny these claims.

The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless ByteDance sells the platform by January 19.