U.S. Appeals Court Upholds TikTok Ban Over National Security Concerns

The court ruled that TikTok must sever ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face removal from app stores by January 19, 2025.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, requiring TikTok to be sold or banned in the U.S. due to national security concerns.
The court rejected TikTok's arguments that the law violates the First Amendment, ruling that the ban protects against potential foreign influence and data misuse by the Chinese government.
TikTok plans to appeal to the Supreme Court, seeking an emergency stay to prevent the ban from taking effect while the case is reviewed further.
President-elect Donald Trump, who previously attempted to ban TikTok, has expressed interest in 'saving' the platform but faces legal constraints in halting the law's enforcement.
If ByteDance does not divest TikTok by January 19, Apple and Google will be required to remove the app from their stores, with potential fines for noncompliance.