TikTok is a bit closer to facing a complete ban in the United States. According to a US federal, the court has rejected its appeal to uphold the ban in a recent hearing. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has made it clear that the government’s decision to ban the app is justifiable and the decision will come to rule on 19 January, if ByteDance does not divest its app from the Chinese ownership. With this failed legal battle, it is clear that TikTok is left with only a couple of weeks to a complete shutdown in the US.
TikTok inches one step closer to its shutdown in the US
In a recent hearing, the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined the request of TikTok to pause the ruling that asks the popular short video app to divest from its Chinese-based parent company ByteDance or else face a complete ban in the U.S. The rule also suggests that the ban will be effective from the beginning of the next year, 19 January. Although TikTok has submitted multiple requests to halt the decision until the Supreme Court takes up the case, with the recent rejection, the court has made it clear that there are no more hopes left for the company.
However, TikTok is not ready to stop its legal battle. The company argues that it is necessary to pause the ruling so as to provide the Supreme Court the time to take up the case without being “hasty.” Furthermore, it also adds that not pausing the law from taking effect on 19 January will result in irreparable harm to the company and its 170 million users in the U.S. In addition, TikTok has already made it clear that it is impossible to divest from its parent company, claiming that doing so is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally.” With both parties staying firm in their stands, experts comment that TikTok is nearing its ban in the U.S.
The federal government has also taken a similar approach as that of the court, suggesting that there is no need for a pause. The government suggests that they have asked the court to rule by early December. According to them, this would provide enough time to appeal a ruling to the Supreme Court, without further delays or additional time. In the latest ruling, all three judges of the D.C. Appeals Court also aligned with the government’s decision and said that the rule is important to safeguard Americans from foreign security threats.
The government and the Justice Department have said that the Chinese ownership of TikTok is highly concerning, as it can access the personal information of millions of Americans. They regard this rule as very crucial to block the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok. So, the latest court rule is considered a major win for the Justice Department and opponents of the Chinese-owned app.
Also Read: TikTok Owner ByteDance Teams Up with TSMC to Develop AI GPUs, Aiming to Reduce Dependence on Nvidia
How bad will the ban affect TikTok?
The state is planning to ban TikTok completely from all services and ownership it has ever owned in the U.S. The officials note that once the ban comes into effect, all the companies including Apple and Google will be restricted from allowing TikToks on their app stores. Moreover, internet service providers like Oracle will also be blocked from hosting TikTok users’ data, resulting in the cancellation of the maintenance, distribution, and updates of TikTok.
So, the ban not only means to shut down the download and update of TikTok by Americans but also prevents companies from providing services and features that require the TikTok platform to function. So, this ban will kick out TikTok completely from the United States, leaving no room for a return. However, the only available option for the company to prevent these actions is to divest from its parent company, which it refuses to accept.
People also comment on the possibility of a hypothetical situation where Donald Trump, the elected president of the U.S. rescue TikTok. Although he had been against this app and tried to ban it during his last tenure, he had come up with a recent statement where he said that he was against the TikTok ban. During his election campaign, he had said that everything is a threat in some way and that banning TikTok was not the most effective way. He added that despite banning TikTok the government has to find ways to tackle the concern. So, a pause for the current ruling may benefit TikTok as Donald Trump is all set to take power in January. However, with so much opposition on the issue, it is uncertain how Trump will singlehandedly favor TikTok.
Some experts also comment that banning TikTok will not reduce the national threat. They share that once TikTok is banned and Oracle stops hosting it, that may lead to the transfer of huge amounts of personal information to China, making the Chinese government more accessible to the data. However, with various concerns and confusions, the court rule confirms that TikTok in the U.S. is approaching its final days.
