US Court Rejects TikTok's Appeal to Delay Service Ban

A US appeals court rejected an attempt by ByteDance to delay a ban on its social media platform TikTok in the country. TikTok filed an emergency injunction to delay the ban last week, but it was swiftly rejected by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals after deeming the request as unwarranted.

TikTok filed for the temporary injunction, claiming the ban breaches the First Amendment right to free speech, requesting time for the Supreme Court to review the case. However, the court of appeals argued its motion complies with legislative conditions, labeling TikTok’s bid, in reality, a suspension of an act, delaying the date selected by Congress to put its chosen policies into effect.

The US ban was issued based on national security concerns about China’s influence on data collection and content moderation on the platform. Following the rejection, TikTok reiterated its plans to take its case to the US Supreme Court in a statement on X. As it currently stands, the ban will be put one day before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office, providing the scope for potential policy shifts.