TikTok Appeals Ban as Deadline Looms, Requests Temporary Halt

TikTok has taken legal action to challenge a law that could ban the app in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells it off. On Friday, a federal appeals court upheld the law requiring the sale, with the ban set to take effect on January 19 if the mandate isn’t met. On Monday, TikTok filed an emergency motion, asking the court to pause the law while it seeks Supreme Court review. The timing of the ban aligns with the presidential inauguration, and TikTok pointed out that President-elect Trump could choose to block the ban himself. TikTok has asked the appeals court to respond to its request by December 16, as the company ramps up efforts to preserve its platform and users’ access.