TikTok lives for another day. A US federal judge has ruled to delay the September 28 TikTok ban. With the delay, the court would study if banning TikTok was legal in the first place. Moreover, users could still get the app from various app stores.
The US Government vs. TikTok
TikTok has responded to the ban by filing two injunctions since September 18, according to Gizmodo. On Friday, the US government made its case to DC District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols. However, Judge Nichols stopped the ban outright.
Pre-teens rejoice! Federal judge strikes down TikTok ban. https://t.co/iDRIYL8MoW pic.twitter.com/8Tb8Q4F9tF
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) September 28, 2020
The US government had said that banning TikTok did not violate the First Amendment. Moreover, the ban did not seek to regulate personal communication.
The Case Against TikTok
US lawmakers have warned against TikTok’s threat to national security. In its filing, the United States also said that TikTok is a “mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party.” A Chinese company, ByteDance, is TikTok’s parent company. Through TikTok, lawmakers say, China could spy on US citizens.
The Future of TikTok
US President Donald Trump had supported a deal among TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart. This deal would have sold TikTok’s US operations to Oracle and Walmart. However, the deal still needs review. Also, China might step in and pull TikTok out of this deal.
As of today, though, TikTok’s 100 million US users could breathe a sigh of relief. For now, they could still access the app’s wealth of viral videos.
