TikTok Heads to Court

TikTok argued in a federal appeals court yesterday against a US government law forcing it to separate from China-based parent company ByteDance by Jan. 19 or face a federal ban.

The bipartisan law, passed in April, maintains TikTok poses a national security risk due to Chinese laws granting the government access to American users’ data upon request. The US government also maintains the app can be used to spread Chinese propaganda. 

TikTok’s lawyer rejected both allegations. The company argued a divestment is impractical, especially in the law's timeframe, and said a ban would undercut Americans’ First Amendment rights, including the right to choose an editor and publisher of their choice. The court yesterday appeared to question that narrative, invoking the US government’s claim the law targets company ownership structure, not speech. 

TikTok boasts more than 170 million US users, over half the country’s population. Watch how TikTok became a cultural phenomenon here.