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. 

The post New Court Ruling Strikes Down US TikTok Ban first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins

WeChat survived in the US after a California judge stopped the US government from blocking the app. The judge blocked the government on the day the app was supposed to be banned. 

WeChat Lives 

After the US President ordered the ban of WeChat, a group of users filed a suit in court to stop the ban. The group had filed the case last August. Now, Judge Laurel Beeler of the Northern District of California heard their plea.

Turns out WeChat won’t be banned immediately, either. https://t.co/6Ma0LY5UmF pic.twitter.com/iVe9KRWVfx

— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) September 21, 2020

The user group, called WeChat Users Alliance, also claimed that they had no links to WeChat or Tencent. The latter is WeChat’s parent company.

Judge Beeler granted the group’s motion for an injunction. In the decision, Beeler said that there were serious questions on the group’s First Amendment claim.  

US Government Response

The New York Times said that the US government could appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court, hoping to overturn the ruling. Moreover, on Sunday, the Department of Justice has begun reviewing Judge Beeler’s order.

In an interview, the Department of Commerce said that the ban would shut WeChat down in the US. The department had also said on Friday that it would ban users from downloading WeChat and TikTok.  

TikTok Gets a Break

However, TikTok had already signed a deal with Oracle and TikTok. The deal would give them a 20% stake in a US-based firm, TikTok Global. While ByteDance still owns 80% of TikTok Global, US investors own 40% of ByteDance itself, which could affect TikTok Global’s US operations. 

The post WeChat Lives Another Day After Court Ruling first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins