By Evaristo Lara
Dec 14, 2024, 12:42 PM EST
The possibility that TikTok being banned in the United States at the end of January remains in effect after a Court of Appeals refused to stop a federal law through which ByteDance, the company that owns the social network, is required to sell it.
At the end of April of this year, Joe Biden, president of the nation, signed a bill to ban social network TikTok, unless it changes ownershipsince there is a fear that being of Chinese origin the platform could be used to filter content focused on destabilizing American society.
The deadline for TikTok to change ownership is January 19 of 2025.
After three judges came out in favor of the law, at the beginning of this week TikTok and ByteDance requested a temporary pause with the aim of gaining time while they prepare an appeal to the Supreme Court so that their case can be analyzed.
Howeverthe Washington Court of Appeals rejected his request, arguing that Congress made a “deliberate choice” in setting its deadline for the sale or veto of TikTok, subject to a single extension.
The deadline to allow the social network to continue operating in the American Union as it is currently constituted is linked to the last day of the government of Joe Biden who, before handing over the presidency to Donald Trump, will still be empowered to block the TikTok service. this if considered pertinent.
Although during his first stage at the head of the White House, Trump was also in favor of prohibiting access to the Chinese social network, during his political campaign in search of being president again he showed that he had changed his mind by mentioning that he was willing to support it if he won. the elections.
“I am in favor of TikTok because competition is needed. “If you don’t have TikTok, you have Facebook and Instagram,” he said.
If so, the likely veto that would be imposed on TikTok would only be temporary, since in a matter of days it would be available again to the more than 170 million Americans it has registered in its database.
In April of this year, Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said he is convinced that the social network represents a threat to National Security..
“For us, TikTok represents a national security concern. The reason I say this is that TikTok’s parent company is beholden to the Chinese government. “They are currently trying to steal our AI and hack American technology every day,” he emphasized.
Keep reading:
• TikTok, against the ropes: from what date could it be banned in the United States?
• Trump could become TikTok’s greatest ally to avoid the veto in the United States
• House of Representatives approves law against TikTok in the United States