A law that stipulates that the TikTok platform must get new owners or be banned in the US will come into force in January, and the company is trying to postpone this moment.
Last week, TikTok lost a court case against a lawsuit against the law that is due to take effect on January 19, 2025 — the day before Donald Trump's inauguration. It requires app stores and internet providers to block the platform if the Chinese company ByteDance does not sell the application. However, the company did not give up and filed a new lawsuit in the hope of delaying the law.
In its latest lawsuit, TikTok also notes that the US president-elect has promised to save the app and that the temporary suspension of the law will allow the new administration to assess this issue.
Next, the platform owner plans to appeal to the US Supreme Court. There is currently no guarantee that it will take up this case, but the company believes that the Supreme Court will protect the “Americans' right to free speech” and will take her side.
Donald Trump's position on TikTok — what is known
During his first term, Donald Trump issued executive orders that restricted American cooperation with the application, citing security concerns. He suggested that the application could be a«Trojan horse» for data collection by the Chinese government. The ban faced a number of legal challenges, and President Joe Biden rescinded the order in 2021.
On April 24, 2024, Biden signed a law banning TikTok. According to the document, the Chinese company ByteDance had 270 days to sell TikTok, otherwise the social network would be banned in the United States.
In early 2024, Trump moved away from active criticism of the application and promised to save it from the ban. Trump reportedly changed his stance initially after meeting with a Republican with a significant financial stake in the app.