TikTok Faces Ban as Appeals Court Upholds Divesture Law

The Epoch Times Header

TikTok has said the Chinese regime will not allow its sale.

A three-judge panel on Dec. 6 rejected TikTok, ByteDance, and a group of TikTok usersโ€™ challenge of a law that requires the app to cut ties with the Chinese communist regime in order to continue operating in the United States.

TikTok now faces a Jan. 19, 2025, ban, unless President Joe Biden issues a 90-day extension, as the company has argued that the Chinese regime will not allow its sale to a foreign company. Itโ€™s the result of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) that Biden signed in April, which prohibits apps owned by foreign adversaries from operating in the United States.

The appeal was argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, and Senior Circuit Judge Douglas Ginsburg.

First Amendment rights to free expression.

The U.S. government argued that the law does not target content, only the ownership of the app under national security statutes.

โ€œThe Act satisfies strict scrutiny,โ€ reads the opinion, written for the panel by Ginsburg. โ€œWe emphasize from the outset that our conclusion here is fact-bound.

โ€œThe multi-year efforts of both political branches to investigate the national security risks posed by the TikTok platform, and to consider potential remedies proposed by TikTok, weigh heavily in favor of the Act.โ€

TikTok signaled it would appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, though itโ€™s unclear that the high court would accept an emergency petition before the Jan. 19, 2025, deadline.

โ€œThe Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americansโ€™ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,โ€ TikTok stated.

National Security Threat

The judges were persuaded that the Chinese communist regime presented a national security threat, citing high-profile cases of Chinese state-backed cyberattack and cyberespionage campaigns.

The governmentโ€™s concern with TikTok began in 2018, and from 2019 onward, it held dozens of working meetings with TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, to try to find a resolution short of divestment.

Byย Catherine Yang

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Why Fishermen Are Catching Fewer Lobsters in Maine

For veteran lobsterman Travis Dammier, it was the end of another trip at sea on a solo voyage to earn a living.

Viewers like you

There is no constitutional authority for any spending on public broadcasting โ€“ period. Any questions: See Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

Beyond the Trump-Musk fallout?

We are witnessing an unprecedented, unhinged Democrat effort to use lawfare, big Democrat donors, street theater, congressional disruptions, potty-mouth videos, the administrative state, the legacy media, and discredited pollsters to stop the Trump agenda.

Trans-wormal

No worm ever said "I am anthropomorphizing, I am a butterfly" to a toad or flock of geese and expected acknowledgement and support.

In Greenlandโ€™s Icy Capital, Past Troubles Haunt Hopes for the Future

As geopolitical realities and ongoing economic growth raise the stakes, U.S. interest in Greenland and the dream of independence may change things in a big way.

News

Why Drug Price Reform Alone Wonโ€™t Heal America

What happens when medications become too cheap, plentiful, and automatic and we donโ€™t reform how drugs are used? We risk clinical harm.

Trump Says Musk Will Face โ€˜Very Serious Consequencesโ€™ If He Backs Democrats

President Trump warned that Musk could face โ€œserious consequencesโ€ if he decides to back Democratic political candidates in upcoming elections.

Judge Declines to Block Trump Admin From Dismantling Library Services Agency

A federal judge cleared the way for the Trump admin to move forward with plan to dismantle the federal agency that funds libraries nationwide.

Supreme Court to Review Alabamaโ€™s Death Row Case Concerning IQ Test

The Supreme Court will consider how courts should weigh multiple IQ tests when assessing a death row defendantโ€™s claim of intellectual disability.

US Travel Ban Will Not Hinder Los Angeles Olympics, LA28 CEO Says

Trumpโ€™s directive banning citizens from 12 countries from entering US exempts athletes. Officials confident Games have full backing of administration.

Musk Mulls New Political Party Amid Feud With Trump

Elon Musk is considering launching a new political party in wake of his public fallout with President Trump over a major Republican tax and spending bill.

Citigroup Reverses Course on Controversial Firearm Policies

Citigroup reversed its policy requiring retail business clients to refrain from selling firearms to those who havenโ€™t passed background checks.

AI Is Taking Thousands of Jobs; Is Yours at Risk?

Just as the internet radically changed how America conducts business, AI is also making waves in the workplace by taking thousands of jobs.
spot_img

Related Articles