TikTok appeals to Supreme Court to delay US ban; CEO meets with Trump

What simply occurred? TikTok is constant its battle to keep away from being banned in the US. After a federal courtroom refused to delay the legislation that would result in the app’s ban, the corporate is now asking the supreme courtroom for assist. The transfer comes after TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew met with Donald Trump in Florida yesterday. The president-elect stated he has “a heat spot in my coronary heart for TikTok” and that he would “have a look” on the matter.

In March, a gaggle of lawmakers announced a invoice designed to “shield the nationwide safety of the US from the menace posed by overseas adversary managed functions.” It will power proprietor ByteDance to promote TikTok‘s US belongings or be banned in the US.

President Biden signed the invoice into legislation in April, giving TikTok and ByteDance till January 19, 2025, to conform.

TikTok stated divestment is not an possibility because the Chinese language authorities would not permit it, and has been combating in opposition to the ban with out success.

The corporate argued that the legislation was a violation of customers’ First Modification rights and unfairly focused the platform. It petitioned to have the legislation overturned, however the US courtroom of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit rejected these arguments at the beginning of the month.

TikTok then filed an emergency injunction requesting a delay within the legislation taking impact. This was additionally denied, by a federal courtroom.

TikTok’s last-ditch try to keep away from being banned within the US on January 19 now rests within the fingers of the US Supreme Court docket. Each the corporate and ByteDance have filed an emergency request for an injunction to halt the ban. A gaggle of US TikTok customers filed an identical request on Monday as properly, writes Reuters.

Trump has beforehand stated he would “save” TikTok, one thing that was referenced within the new submitting with the Supreme Court docket. “It will not be within the curiosity of anybody – not the events, the general public, or the courts – for the Act’s ban on TikTok to take impact just for the brand new Administration to halt its enforcement hours, days, and even weeks later,” TikTok and ByteDance wrote. Trump is being inaugurated on January 20, in the future after the ban comes into impact.

TikTok is asking for a “modest delay” to the ban to “create respiration room” for a assessment by the Court docket and to permit the incoming administration to “consider this matter.”

The Justice Division claims TikTok poses a nationwide safety menace by permitting the Chinese language authorities to gather information on Americans and manipulate what content material they see on the app. The DoJ speculated that Beijing may use this delicate information to sow disruption within the US and solid suspicion on its democratic processes.

“If Individuals, duly knowledgeable of the alleged dangers of ‘covert’ content material manipulation, select to proceed viewing content material on TikTok with their eyes broad open, the primary modification entrusts them with making that alternative, free from the federal government’s censorship,” TikTok and ByteDance said within the submitting.

It is unclear what transpired throughout Trump’s assembly with Chew at Mar-a-Lago yesterday. “I’ve a heat spot in my coronary heart for TikTok, as a result of I received youth by 34 factors,” Trump stated throughout a press convention yesterday. “There are those who say that TikTok has one thing to do with that. TikTok had an influence.”

Trump, who joined TikTok in June 2024, tried to ban the platform within the US throughout his first time period in workplace.