DOJ asks court to reject TikTok's bid to delay law that would ban app
FILE-A TikTok logo is shown on a mobile phone in an illustration photo. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Department of Justice is asking a U.S. appeals court to deny TikTok’s bid to temporarily delay legislation that may result in the social media platform being banned.
FOX Business reports that the law would require TikTok’s Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, to divest the app by Jan. 19 or face a ban in the U.S.
In an emergency motion obtained by FOX Business, the news outlet reported that TikTok and ByteDance called the law unconstitutional, and they contend that a small delay with the law would not cause serious national security concerns.
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The Justice Department tells FOX Business that the TikTok ban would not prevent users from using the social media platform but over time it would be "unworkable."
In April 2024, President Joe Biden signed a bill that required the sale of TikTok to an organization not owned or operated by Chinese entities.
Biden and other legislators were worried that TikTok could be used by the Chinese government for surveillance or to spread propaganda. ByteDance has said before that it has no intention to sell.
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TikTok indicated that it plans to appeal the decision.
According to FOX Business, the president can extend the deadline by 90 days if the company is attempting to sell. But this action would put the decision on President-elect Donald Trump, who said before November’s election that he would not ban TikTok.