The final decision on the ban of TikTok in the United States is approaching: on December 14 the hearing on the download block
The story of the ban of TikTok in the United States seems destined to reach a conclusion. On December 14, an appeal will be heard on the order of the Washington judge who, in September, blocked the download ban on the app in the Apple and Google stores.
After the umpteenth extension obtained by the Chinese company ByteDance on the sale of the app to the newco controlled by US companies, a new chapter is written on the complicated affair that sees the app for short videos at the center of attention. The battle against TikTok by the administration led by outgoing President Donald Trump stems from fears for national security in the use of the Chinese app, accused of spying on American users. A fear that, if well-founded, would affect the more than 100 million Americans who have downloaded and use the TikTok app.
TiKTok and the download ban
The administration led by Donald Trump last August ordered a ban on downloads of the TikTok app from Apple's App Store and Google Play Store, citing national security concerns. On Sept. 27, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols blocked the order issued by the Commerce Department, and the app remained in the Apple and Google stores.
The government has appealed, and on Dec. 14, Justices Judith Rogers, Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins, all three of whom were appointed by previous Democratic presidents, will hear the Trump administration's reasons for the download ban and then decide TikTok's fate.
ByteDance and the sale of TikTok to the U.S.
The ban issued by President Trump in August 2020 required ByteDance, a Chinese company that owns TikTok, to find a solution so that the sensitive data of Americans would be protected. Specifically, that the app be sold to U.S. resources. At first, there was talk of an agreement between TikTok and Microsoft, which then fell through.
From one extension to the next, ByteDance has been negotiating for months with Walmart and Oracle to create a newco in which TikTok's US investors will take part, so that data management will remain in the US territory. Just on December 4 expires the last extension, with the decision that could be postponed again pending also the hearing that will be held on December 14.