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TikTok ban
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Photo Illustration: Reuters

US takes a final step to end Trump-era legal effort to ban TikTok and WeChat

  • Justice Department says the case against the Chinese-owned video-sharing app ‘is now moot’
  • Orders seeking to bar the apps were withdrawn by the US Commerce Department in June
TikTok ban

The Biden administration on Monday asked a federal appeals court for a ruling that will bring an end to the Trump-era efforts to ban new downloads of TikTok.

The US Justice Department said in a legal filing that the case against the Chinese-owned video-sharing app “is now moot” and that the government has voluntarily dismissed the cases.

A court decision is expected within 14 days.

Last month, President Joe Biden issued an executive order to revoke actions made by his predecessor, Donald Trump. The Commerce Department also rescinded its orders to prohibit new downloads of the app.

Biden drops Trump orders seeking to ban TikTok, WeChat

Trump had sought to ban new downloads of TikTok and Tencent-owned messaging app WeChat last August, saying the applications could have back doors to send American users’ data to Beijing, threatening US national security.

TikTok was asked to unload its US operations to an American owner or be banned. That sale, which was in advanced talks with Oracle and Walmart, was shelved earlier this year as the Biden team began reviewing Trump’s China policies. However, the US is still reviewing TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, for its 2017 purchase of Musical.ly.

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