U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Carl Nichols, ruled against the blocking of TikTok from U.S. app stores. The injunction was granted late Sunday, a move that resisted Trump’s administration to ban the Chinese app.
But this ruling by Judge Nichols will not cover a broader ban of the short video social app, which will take effect on November 12. This ban will eventually make the app unusable in the U.S.
In a statement released by TikTok, they expressed their gratitude that the court upheld their legal arguments. TikTok also vowed that they would remain steadfast in defending their rights, which will protect their community and their employees. TikTok also said that they would continue to talk with the U.S. government until it has reconsidered its arguments.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Commerce Department stated that they would continue to carry on the President’s order that is legitimate and considers the country’s security. In a statement, the department said that they will follow the injunction but will vigorously defend the Executive Order.
According to the Department of Commerce, TikTok would have been removed September 20 but was delayed to September 27 as talks regarding the app’s future resumed.
New TikTok Global
TikTok in the U.S. is now called TikTok Global. According to a new deal, Oracle and Walmart have a 20 percent share in the new company TikTok Global. This U.S. – based company will still be controlled by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance which will hold an 80% stake. However, Oracle opposed that ByteDance should have no part in TikTok Global. It was previously agreed that the Chinese company would have no control over the TikTok U.S. company.
President Trump’s administration still considers TikTok under ByteDance is a threat to national security. It is due to U.S. users’ data may be sent to China. However, TikTok has denied this claim many times.
In a statement by John Hall, TikTok’s attorney on Sunday, he said that the ban on the U.S. app store is sudden and inconsistent. He said that the order issued on August 6 must not be included considering that IEEPA did not have communication technologies.
Hall said that TikTok is one of the biggest social apps, and it needs new users as with all social media apps. He argued that if the app is no longer available in app stores, it will dramatically affect its users and creators. This ban would tremendously affect its advertisers as well.
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