The ongoing fight over TikTok is finally reaching a crescendo, leaving 170 million loyal U.S. app users on the edge of their seats.
In April, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a law that could ban TikTok from legally existing in the U.S. unless ByteDance, its parent company, sells the social media app to another company within a nine-month period.
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However, this fight against TikTok has been ongoing for multiple years without a solution.
The No TikTok on Government Devices Act was passed on Dec. 2022, requiring TikTok to be removed from the information technology of federal agencies.
The TikTok ban emerged due to growing concerns by the U.S. government that the social media app poses a serious threat to national security.
The Biden administration argued that the Chinese government was it to access the personal data and private information of its U.S. users, making the nation incredibly vulnerable to potential cyber attacks.
Upon the emergence of this law, TikTok immediately responded by denying any espionage threats or links to the Chinese government, insisting the law infringed on the First Amendment rights of U.S. citizens.
Although the law could seem like an infringement of Americans’ constitutional rights, the Biden administration said its implementation was justified because of the massive threat it posed to the nation’s safety.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew answered questions during a Congressional hearing.
A trial as short as a TikTok video
Although this trial has been the talk of tech and social media circles for multiple years, the oral arguments will only last a few minutes.
The Biden administration will be given 25 minutes to make its case, while TikTok itself, as well as a group of content creators, will be given a short amount of time to defend themselves against the ban.
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The law requires any legal challenge to the Biden edict be heard directly by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, completely skipping over the federal district court.
Because of this bypass, a full trial will not occur, and a final decision will be made by a three-judge panel, resulting in a shorter timeframe for a legal proceeding that could possibly last only a few weeks.
The final decision will determine whether the law is constitutional or not, allowing for the potential ban of TikTok in the U.S., or not.
TikTokers lash out against the Biden administration
TikTokers took the saying “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” to heart.
A group of eight TikTok creators is standing behind the company that helped them go viral by taking it upon themselves to sue the Biden administration for the law that wants to banish the social media app from the U.S.
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However, these TikTokers will only get 10 minutes to make their arguments.
Their goal is to prevent the implementation of this law by explaining to the court why it should deem Biden’s rule unconstitutional, not enforce it on U.S. citizens, and grant continued access to the app.
The Biden administration will then give a closing presentation for the last 25 minutes to make its case.
All the details on when a final decision will be made
There is no exact date when the court will reach a final decision, but the deadline is Jan. 19., which means Americans will obtain an answer to the future of the social media app in the upcoming weeks.
The oral arguments took place on Monday, Sept. 16, at 9:30 am ET.
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