TikTok’s battle for survival in the U.S. is hitting a bit of a speed bump, and by “speed bump,” I mean a massive legal roadblock that could soon lead to the app being banned. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, just can’t catch a break.
Earlier this year, President Biden signed a national security bill that could force TikTok to either sell itself off or face a potential ban in the U.S. TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, responded with a dramatic video, proclaiming, “This is a ban, a ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice!” He might’ve even thrown in a little slow-motion hair flip for effect, but who’s counting? Chew went full throttle, rallying the troops to fight this bill tooth and nail.
Despite TikTok’s fiery defense, the courts weren’t having it. They shot down TikTok’s lawsuit, which argued that the bill violated First Amendment rights. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals wasn’t exactly swayed by TikTok’s impassioned speech, writing that the government was justified in protecting the freedom of speech in the U.S. from a foreign adversary. So, sorry TikTok, it’s not you, it’s national security.
In other words, the court agreed that the government had the right to block a foreign power—like China—from spying on Americans via TikTok. They also recognized that 170 million U.S. users might be a tad upset if TikTok gets banned, considering how much they love sharing dance moves, memes, and whatever that thing is where people lip-sync to audio clips. But, alas, national security worries trump viral dance trends, it seems.
Congress has made it clear that TikTok’s link to the Chinese government is a security threat, and the only way to calm the storm is for ByteDance to sell off its TikTok stake. If ByteDance refuses, the U.S. could wave goodbye to TikTok and all its absurdly entertaining content.
The court decision has raised an interesting question: How much risk is America willing to take with its security, even if it means some TikTok users might lose their favorite app or, worse, their income from sponsored lip-sync videos? Congress decided national security comes first, and it’s not losing sleep over your “funny cat videos” getting taken down.
So, what now? Well, TikTok can still appeal, and they’re reportedly preparing to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the Court picks it up, it could delay the potential ban. But if the Court says “no thanks,” we could all be saying farewell to TikTok in just 44 days. So, get your last dances in while you can!
