TikTok faces U.S. ban after losing appeal
Popular social media company, TikTok, is set to be banned in the United States after losing its appeal to overturn the law that requires its owner to either sell the company or face an effective ban.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled against TikTok on Friday, rejecting its petition to overturn the legislation.
The Chinese company went to court to appeal the legislation which was passed in April by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden following years of concerns on Capitol Hill that ByteDance poses a national security risk.
The law is said to be a move to counter China’s efforts to collect Americans’ data and limit its ability to manipulate content covertly on TikTok.
A panel of the three federal courts, in their judgement, acknowledged the law, asking the Chinese company to either divest or stop operations in the country.
“We recognize that this decision has significant implications for TikTok and its users. Consequently, TikTok’s millions of users will need to find alternative media of communication”, the panel noted.
The court’s decision means the Chinese company would take the case to the Supreme Court.
The company, in a statement on X, described the law banning the company as unconstitutional and inaccurate, adding it infringes on Americans’ rights to free speech.
“The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue. Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people. The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the U.S. and around the world on January 19th, 2025,” the statement read.
The court’s decision comes as President-Elect Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated in January. Mr Trump had, during his campaign, said he would “save TikTok” from a ban if elected.
Launched in the U.S. in 2018, TikTok has become a formidable tool for Americans to make money, promote businesses and communicate their concerns to the government
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