US And TikTok Want A Quick Timeline With A Decision On A Possible Ban By December 6


05/18/2024



A U.S. appeals court was requested by the U.S. Justice Department and TikTok on Friday to expedite the review of the legal objections to a recently enacted statute that requires China-based ByteDance to sell up its U.S. assets or risk suspension. The deadline for doing so is January 19.
 
In order to be able to seek review from the Supreme Court before the U.S. deadline, TikTok, ByteDance, and a group of TikTok content providers joined forces with the Justice Department to urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to decide by December 6.
 
The app, which is used by 170 million Americans, might be banned, but a group of TikTok founders filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to prevent the rule, claiming that it has had "a profound effect on American life."
 
TikTok and parent firm ByteDance filed a similar complaint last week, claiming that the rule is unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution for several reasons, including violating the First Amendment's rights of free expression.
 
The U.S. Justice Department and TikTok petitioners stated that "the public at large has a significant interest in the prompt disposition of this matter, given the large number of users of the TikTok platform."
 
TikTok stated that it thinks the legal dispute can be handled quickly and does not need to seek urgent preliminary injunctive relief.
 
President Joe Biden signed the bill on April 24. ByteDance has until January 19 to sell TikTok or risk being banned. According to the White House, a ban on TikTok is not what it wants; rather, it wants Chinese-based ownership to terminate for national security reasons.
 
The parties requested that the matter be scheduled for oral arguments in September of this year, if at all possible. According to the Justice Department, it may secretly submit classified documents to the court in order to bolster the national security arguments.
 
The TikTok bill, according to the Justice Department earlier this week, "addresses critical national security concerns in a manner that is consistent with the First Amendment and other constitutional limitations."
 
The rule forbids internet hosting companies from sponsoring TikTok and forbids app shops like Apple and Alphabet's Google from selling TikTok until ByteDance divests TikTok.
 
Just a few weeks after it was announced, the legislation was enacted by Congress with overwhelming support, fueled by concerns expressed by American politicians that China may use the app to access American data or spy on them.
 
(Source:www.businesstimes.com.sg)