WASHINGTON, SEPT 16 – TikTok will try to convince a federal court today against a law that requires the Chinese-owned video sharing app to be sold or face a ban in the United States (US).
The fate of Americans’ access to TikTok has become a prominent issue in the country’s political debate, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump opposing any ban on the hugely popular app.
Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running against Trump, signed the law giving TikTok until January to sell the Chinese-owned app or be kicked out of the US market.
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has said it has no plans to sell TikTok, but is making a legal appeal about the app centered on US guarantees of free speech as its only option to survive.
The ban is likely to result in a strong response from the Chinese government and further strain relations between the US and China.
A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for Washington will hear arguments from TikTok, ByteDance and a group of users regarding the law’s violation of free speech rights.
The justices will rule on the case in the coming weeks or months, but regardless of their decision, the case will likely reach the US Supreme Court. – AFP
