US Court Of Appeal Discusses Prohibition Potential For TikTok September 16

ByteDance is asked to sell shares on TikTok (photo: x @WhatLayoff)

JAKARTA - The US appeals court on Monday 17 June announced it would hold a verbal hearing on September 16 regarding legal challenges against a new law requiring China-based ByteDance to release TikTok assets in the US before January 19 or face bans.

On May 14, a group of TikTok creators filed a lawsuit to block a law that could ban apps used by 170 million Americans, arguing that the app had "deep influence on American life." TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, previously filed a similar lawsuit.

The trial at the US Court of Appeals to the District of Columbia will place TikTok's fate in the midst of the final weeks of the 2024 presidential election. Earlier this month, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump joined TikTok and expressed concern about the potential ban.

Creators, TikTok, and ByteDance must file legal briefings before Thursday, June 20 and the Justice Department before July 26, with a response briefing that must be submitted before August 15. TikTok and the Justice Department seek a decision before December 6 to request a review from the Supreme Court if necessary.

The third lawsuit was filed on June 6 by Liberty Justice Center, which represents BASED Politics Inc., a conservative group that posts videos on TikTok.

Signed by President Joe Biden on April 24, the law gives ByteDance until January 19 to sell TikTok or face bans. The White House said it wanted to end China-based holdings for national security reasons, but did not ban TikTok.

The law prohibits app stores like Apple and Alphabet's Google from offering TikTok and bans internet hosting services from supporting TikTok unless sold by ByteDance. Motivated by concerns among US lawmakers that China could access American data or spy on them with the app, this action was passed with a majority vote in Congress just weeks after its introduction.