TikTok Faces U.S. Ban as Appeals Court Upholds Sale Order Amid Free Speech Concerns
1min read The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a decision that TikTok must be sold by its parent company, ByteDance, by January 19 next year, or face a ban in the U.S. This decision is likely to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In response, TikTok released a statement on social media platform X, emphasizing the significance of free speech traditions upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. The company expressed disappointment with the ban, stating it was based on "inaccurate information" and flawed assumptions, which it claims result in blatant censorship of the American people. TikTok argued that if the ban is not blocked, the voices of over 170 million Americans using the platform could be silenced domestically and globally by the proposed deadline.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of the largest civil rights organizations in the United States, criticized the judgment, labeling it as a "dangerous precedent" that endows the government with excessive power to suppress American citizens' online speech. The ACLU emphasized that banning TikTok infringes on the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans using the platform to express themselves and connect with the global community. It noted that the government lacks evidence to prove that the platform poses any imminent and severe danger that would warrant a ban.