The popular video-sharing app TikTok appeared to have averted a shutdown ordered in the US by the Trump adminsitration . ©AFP/File Lionel BONAVENTURE

 

Washington (AFP) – The US government announced Thursday it would delay enforcement of a ban on TikTok, saying it would comply with a court order in favor of the Chinese-owned social media sensation.

The hit shortform video app was forbidden based on national security concerns voiced by US officials, but the Commerce Department said it was holding off due to an injunction by a federal judge issued on October 30.

“The department is complying with the terms of this order,” it said in a statement, adding that the ban “has been enjoined and will not go into effect pending further legal developments.”

The government on Thursday appealed the judge’s decision.

The news comes amid a torrent of litigation following President Donald Trump’s move to ban the fast-growing app unless it were sold to American investors.

A federal court in Pennsylvania on October 30 blocked the Trump administration from carrying out the ban, in a case brought by TikTok “creators.”

A separate case brought by TikTok itself is pending in another court in the US capital, which last month blocked the US government from enforcing a ban on new downloads of the app.

TikTok parent firm ByteDance had been given until Thursday to restructure ownership of the app in the United States to address national security concerns, but it filed a petition in a Washington court this week asking for a delay.

The company said in a Tuesday statement that it had asked the government for a 30-day extension because of “continual new requests and no clarity on whether our proposed solutions would be accepted,” but it was not granted.

The Trump administration has been seeking to transfer ownership of TikTok to an American business to allay security concerns, but no deal has been finalized.

ByteDance and TikTok have proposed creating a new company with IT firm Oracle as a technology partner and retail giant Walmart as a business partner.

TikTok has 100 million users in the United States.

The Trump administration has said TikTok must become a US firm controlled by American investors to avert a ban. But any plan would likely need approval from Beijing, which has balked at giving up its social media star.

Trump and his aides have claimed TikTok and its parent firm can be used to collect data on Americans for Chinese espionage, a claim denied by the company.

TikTok had no immediate comment on the latest development but on October 30 said it was “deeply moved by the outpouring of support from our creators, who have worked to protect their rights to expression, their careers, and to helping small businesses, particularly during the pandemic.”

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.