SACRAMENTO – Chinese short video streaming platform TikTok is inches closer to be banned in United States as federal appeals court upheld law that could force app to either sell its US operations or shut down in coming months.
The US court turned down TikTok’s appeal amid years-long legal tussle between Washington and ByteDance, the parent company behind the famous app used by over 1Billion people..
US authorities are pushing for TikTok ban citing national security concerns over TikTok’s ownership by the Chinese company. The lawmakers called TikTok a security risk due to its alleged ties to the Chinese government, which TikTok and ByteDance have consistently opposed.
The court howver asserted that law was carefully crafted to counter threats from foreign adversaries, especially Beijing.
The company announced its intention to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court, arguing that the law is based on speculative and flawed information, linking it with suppression and unfairly penalize Ameican nationals who use the platform to express themselves.
President-elect Donald Trump earlier opposed TikTok ban, but strong support in Congress for restricting TikTok may make it difficult for the new president to overturn the law.
Amid plethora of challenges, Meta, and other giants are looking to get market share after ban.
