TikTok Lawyer Reveals Possible Resurgence Platforms During Trump Administration

JAKARTA - At a hearing in a US court held on Friday, January 10, TikTok's lawyers and ByteDance Noel Francisco said that laws banning TikTok directly limit American speech freedom.

With 170 million active users there, Francisco claims that TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms in the US. According to him, this ban will have a major impact on US citizens in accessing information on its platform.

Not only that, but Francisco also expressed Donald Trump's opinion against the ban on TikTok and asked the Supreme Court to postpone the ban's decision until his newly inaugurated government.

At least in my understanding, we (TikTok) will die. Effectively, the platform will be closed unless there is a divestment, unless President Trump uses his authority to extend it," he said.

However, he stressed, it is possible that TikTok will resume operations after Trump is sworn in as the new US President on January 20.

"It's possible that by 20, 21, or January 22, we might be in a different world," added Francisco.

Previously, the US Congress had passed legislation asking ByteDance to sell TikTok, or otherwise TikTok would be banned in the country, with a deadline of January 19, 2025.

The ban comes as concerns that TikTok's data, including locations, usage habits, and preferences could fall into the hands of the Chinese government.

Sidang antara pemerintah AS dengan ByteDance tentang larangan penggunaan TikTok masih berlanjut. Sidang yang digelar selama 2.5 jam ini merupakan bagian dari proses hukum yang lebih luas mengenai masa depan TikTok di AS.