TikTok and its owner request a temporary stop on a law that might lead to the app being banned in the US.

ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, has taken legal action against newly passed legislation that states ByteDance would have to sell TikTok by January 19 or be banned from the US. An appeals court has been asked for a temporary injunction against this legislation.

The request is this urgent because of the large number of people in the U.S.—at present, over 170 million—affecting just how severe the impact will be. It could not have come at a more politically charged time, as it also coincides with the ongoing presidential inauguration period. 

A panel of three judges in the appeals court on the last Friday upheld the legislation, reiterating that ByteDance must divest TikTok within a span of six weeks. ByteDance and TikTok pointed out that this sudden ruling could lead to severe disruptions, noting that it is being presumed to stop TikTok services as being able to affect not only users in the United States but also millions internationally. This is because most American service providers do not support the cost of maintenance, updates, or distributions anymore post-January 19.

The two legal entities, namely ByteDance and TikTok, contend that the impending incoming president of the United States, Donald Trump, would be interested in preventing TikTok from being banned. The law implemented in 2022 would just delay so that the new administration would have time to consider its position about TikTok. On the other hand, the Justice Department insists that TikTok’s request should be dismissed immediately. Instead, a swift resolution favors the Supreme Court’s assessment of future petitions. The situation remains dynamic and would prove consequential both for users within the app and the entity itself as the deadline looms.

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