TikTok, owned by Chinese parent-company ByteDance, lost its bid challenging a law that could see the platform banned with an Appeals Court ruling that the law does not “contravene the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States”.
The court further established that the law in question does not violate the Fifth Amendment guarantee of equal protection of the laws.
The ruling brought the platform a step closer to being banned in the U.S. with limited options.
Its parent company has to sell and find a buyer for the platform in order for it to avoid the ban which will come into effect on January 19, 2025. Upon the lapse of the period, US app stores and internet services are expected to stop hoisting the popular platform.
A one-time extension that can only be issued by President Joe Biden before the lapse of the period may also see millions of users in the U.S continue to access the platform. (Under the legislation, Biden may issue a one-time extension of the deadline which lapses a day before President-elect Donald Trump takes over.)
TikTok reveals next move as U.S. ban looms
TikTok has confirmed that it will challenge the decision through the existing legal channels through company spokesperson Michael Hughes.
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.
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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 US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.
U.S. Government’s concerns with TikTok
For years, Capitol Hill held that ByteDance is a potential national security risk as it could share critical user data for Chinese government surveillance purposes.
Concerns were also raised that the Chinese government could compel the company to alter TikTok’s algorithm to spread propaganda and fake news in an era where social media is a key conduit for spreading the same.
TikTok’s woes started in April 2024 when President Joe Biden signed a bill into law, requiring the platform to be sold to a new non-Chinese owner or be banned in the United States.