US government appeals order blocking TikTok restrictions as battle over ByteDance’s short video hit continues
- The government has cited national security concerns in its targeting of TikTok
- Under pressure from the US government, ByteDance has been in talks for months to finalise a deal with Walmart
The Trump administration on Monday appealed a federal judge’s order blocking restrictions that would have effectively barred the use of Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok in the United States.
The government has cited national security concerns in its targeting of TikTok, arguing that the personal data of US users could be obtained by China’s government. TikTok, which has over 100 million users in the United States, denies the allegation.
In a December 7 ruling, US District Court Judge Carl Nichols in Washington issued an order that prevented the Commerce Department from barring data hosting for TikTok within the United States, content delivery services and other technical transactions that TikTok-owner ByteDance said would have prevented the use of the app in the United States.
The Justice Department said it was appealing Nichols’ order to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
A separate US appeals court is set to hear an appeal in February of an October ruling by US District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Pennsylvania, who blocked the same restrictions that had been set to take effect on Nov. 12.
Officials briefed on the matter told Reuters it is increasingly unlikely the government will resolve the fate of TikTok in the United States before President Donald Trump leaves office on Jan. 20. There is still an outside chance a deal could be struck in January, they said.