ByteDance and TikTok request temporary suspension of US ban

ByteDance and TikTok have filed an emergency petition with the US Court of Appeals, warning that without a stay, the law would take effect in shutting down TikTok just before the presidential inauguration.

Tiktok logo at its office in Los Angeles, USA. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN)

Short video app TikTok and its parent company ByteDance on December 9 asked an appeals court to temporarily block a law forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19, pending review by the US Supreme Court.

The two companies filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, warning that without a stay, the law would have the effect of shutting down TikTok just before the presidential inauguration.

The petition also notes that TikTok is one of the most popular speech platforms in the US, with more than 170 million monthly users.

Without a court order, TikTok could be banned in the US in six weeks, significantly devaluing TikTok for ByteDance and its investors, and severely impacting businesses that rely on TikTok to drive sales.

Last week, a three-judge panel of the same appeals court upheld a law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok in the US by early next year or face a ban in just six weeks.

ByteDance and TikTok’s legal teams believe the Supreme Court is likely to review the case and potentially overturn the current ruling, so they believe a stay of the law is necessary to allow more time to thoroughly review the matter.

ByteDance and TikTok also noted that President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to block the ban, and argued that delaying the law would give the incoming administration time to determine its stance.

TikTok also warned that the court's ruling would disrupt "service for tens of millions of TikTok users outside the United States." The app explained that TikTok relies on hundreds of service providers in the United States to perform tasks like system maintenance, app distribution, and software updates.

If the ban takes effect on January 19, these service providers will no longer be able to support the TikTok platform. This means that TikTok will have difficulty maintaining operations, updating new features and fixing bugs, directly affecting the experience of users outside the US.

TikTok has asked the appeals court to make a decision on this request by December 16./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/bytedance-va-tiktok-yeu-cau-tam-hoan-thi-hanh-lenh-cam-cua-my-post1000089.vnp