Emergency motion filed

TikTok applies for stay on impending US ban

(Bild: visuals6x - stock.adobe.com)

Following the dismissal of a lawsuit against the impending ban in the USA, TikTok has applied for a stay. The short video app and its parent company ByteDance filed an emergency motion on Monday to temporarily suspend a corresponding law until the Supreme Court has ruled on the case.

Following the dismissal of a lawsuit against an impending ban in the USA, TikTok has applied for a stay. The short video app and its parent company ByteDance filed an emergency motion on Monday to temporarily suspend a corresponding law until the Supreme Court has ruled on the case.

Otherwise, one of the most popular communication platforms in the country will be shut down one day before the change of government, they say. In addition, millions of users outside the US could also be affected if the major US cloud companies are prohibited from running TikTok data through their data centers.

Parent company must sell US business
On Friday, an appeals court declared a law to be legal that forces the Chinese TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell its US business by January 19, 2025. Otherwise, TikTok will be blocked nationwide.

The platform has 170 million users in the USA, around half of the population. According to insiders, ByteDance would rather shut down the US service than part with it. Donald Trump will be sworn in as US President on January 20, 2025. He initiated the ban proceedings against TikTok during his first term of office, but recently spoke out against it.

Company suspected of espionage
ByteDance and the app TikTok, which is particularly popular with young people, are suspected of espionage in numerous countries due to their close ties to the Chinese government. Authorities fear that the People's Republic could take control of users' personal data and manipulate public opinion.

The two companies and the government in Beijing have repeatedly denied the accusations. In Romania, the presidential election has to be repeated due to illegal foreign influence with the help of TikTok. Critics accuse the platform of not having taken sufficient action against this campaign.