TikTok’s ban in the United States is now closer than ever. This comes after the US Court of Appeals on Friday rejected the company’s emergency bid to temporarily block a law requiring TikTok to sell its US operations or face a nationwide ban.
The potential ban stems from legislation signed by President Biden in April this year, mandating that TikTok divest its US business by January 19, 2025, or risk being removed from app stores and blocked entirely. The law cites national security concerns over TikTok’s ownership by Chinese tech giant ByteDance.
TikTok could be removed from the App Store and Play Store
Over a month before the deadline, TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency injunction to delay the law’s enforcement. However, the federal court’s latest ruling rejected their request, marking another significant setback for the companies.
In response, TikTok issued a statement saying, “The voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world will be silenced on January 19, 2025, unless the TikTok ban is halted.”
TikTok also announced plans to escalate the appeal to the Supreme Court, though it remains uncertain whether the nation’s highest court will hear the case. “As we have previously stated, we plan on taking this case to the Supreme Court, which has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech,” the company added.
If the appeal is approved and the ban is delayed, TikTok and ByteDance could gain more time to negotiate a potential sale or explore alternative solutions to address US security concerns. However, the upcoming presidential transition could change the course of action, as President-elect Trump, who takes office on January 20, 2025, might propose different remedies.
A complete ban would leave 170 million US users without access to TikTok. Some users might resort to using VPNs or accessing the platform through the web, though features would likely be limited compared to a dedicated app.
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