TikTok Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Temporarily Block Upcoming January Ban

[MacRumors]

Social network TikTok today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to temporarily halt an imminent ban as TikTok waits for the appeal process to play out. TikTok is set to be banned from U.S. app stores starting on January 19 because parent company ByteDance did not sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company as mandated by a bill in April.

TikTok is calling on the Supreme Court to hear its appeal, and it is sticking with the free speech argument that the lower appeals court denied. The petition that TikTok submitted to the Supreme Court claims that Congress has "enacted a massive and unprecedented speech restriction," and that TikTok is one of the "most popular and important venues for communication" in the U.S.

U.S. lawmakers gave ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok to a company not located in China, but ByteDance has maintained that doing so would be impossible. ByteDance says that it is not able to give the TikTok source code to a new owner because it would take years for engineers to become familiar enough with it to perform routine maintenance, and ByteDance also does not plan to allow a third-party company to access its TikTok algorithm.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1868754443703140757

Further, China has said that it will firmly oppose any sale of the TikTok app, and any sale would need to be approved by the Chinese government. Per the terms of the bill, if TikTok is not sold off, app store owners Google, Apple, and others will be required to stop distributing the app in January. If TikTok is ultimately banned, users who have downloaded the app already would be able to continue to use it so long as it stayed functional, but there would be no distribution method for getting the app in the United States.

U.S. lawmakers want TikTok sold to a company outside of China over concerns that the Chinese government could force ByteDance to hand over information from users in the United States, plus there have been suggestions that China could use TikTok to spread political propaganda.

It is possible that the ban on TikTok could be lifted or delayed by President-elect Donald Trump. According to CNBC, Trump told reporters on Monday that his administration will "take a look at TikTok." Trump tried to ban TikTok when he was in office, but said this year that he opposes the law that Congress passed.

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Article Link: TikTok Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Temporarily Block Upcoming January Ban

 

[frownface]

hmm, post blocking. Androids will still be able to sideload it, no?

I've never used tiktok and never will; but if this is something that causes apple to open up side loading globally. maybe it could be a good thing 😏

 

[freakomac]

Zuck will certainly love tiktok ban, get ready for more Insta-spam

 

[contacos]

I am by no means a fan of either governments for that matter but this and the whole thing against Huawei is just a market war to be honest. Has there ever been any proof that they are actually doing anything the US isn't doing themselves?

 

[ShivneelSingh]

TikTok just needs to make a deal with Apple and Google so whenever someone buys a new device, the app will already be installed.

U2 did something similar back in the day with Apple.

EDIT: This was just a joke, people.

 

[jz0309]

this move was expected. Question is whether or not the SC will her them.
The incoming POTUS made some comments today liking TikTok and getting some of the votes of younger(ish) people ...

A big mess, popcorn is on sale at Costco

 

[The Clark]

TikTok just needs to make a deal with Apple and Google so whenever someone buys a new device, the app will already be installed.

U2 did something similar back in the day with Apple.

If this is a troll bait, VERY well done.

If not, I myself and literally everybody I spoke with HATED that little stunt from Apple. I use Spotify now out of anger.

 

[frownface]

If this is a troll bait, VERY well done.

If not, I myself and literally everybody I spoke with HATED that little stunt from Apple. I use Spotify now out of anger.

Sad to say but i think it already comes pre-installed on a lot of android phones.

Even if google were to be forced to remove it; would say; the samsung store be forced to?
Tiktok will continue to make and update their app for the rest of the world; so it wouldn't be hard to sideload it.

It'd be like the fortnight fiasco again; people will just find ways around it.


Ironically, apple could be the biggest loser in this; if tiktok has truly reached "killer app" status; then not having it available when your competitors can; is a big handicap.

 

[rgeneral]

Block it. While you are at it, block FB and instagram as well

 

[Cod3rror]

I would love to be a fly on the wall at TikTok's headquarters conference room right about now. Imagine the tension.

 

[icanhazmac]

I understand the slippery slope here, all the other major social networks whore up data as well, but there are inexorable ties between Chinese companies and the Chinese Communist Party which are of concern. Perhaps not for Joe Public but for anyone employed by the US Government, including military folks and contractors, this is a major concern.

 

[deevey]

TikTok just needs to make a deal with Apple and Google so whenever someone buys a new device, the app will already be installed.

U2 did something similar back in the day with Apple.

Couldn't TikTok's servers simply be blocked at an ISP level?

Yes I know VPN's exist. But it would certainly lessen the appeal of the app. Trying to change your country settings on TikTok from another ones IP is a complete PITA, so you'd end up with content targeted to another country.

 

[HandsomeDanNZ]

Tik Tok should be banned worldwide for the serious crime of making people dumber.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

If the government has proof that TikTok is doing something nefarious, they need to present it openly to the public for any and all to see, without restriction.

This behind-doors "trust us" legislation just doesn’t work for me, nor does "well, china is doing it too!, waaa!"...that's all the more to reason to not block it.

No tit-for-tat.

 

[delsoul]

Why is a Chinese company so obsessed with being available in a Foreign country. Tik tok isn’t wanted. Deal with it. Maybe Facebook can cry to the chinese Supreme Court constantly so it can be be available to Chinese? Google, as well?

 

[iZac]

The issue it seems is not that 3rd parties can siphon up user data for their own nefarious gain … it’s that they can do it for free, without having to pay a data broker for the privilege

 

[deevey]

ByteDance says that it is not able to give the TikTok source code to a new owner because it would take years for engineers to become familiar enough with it to perform routine maintenance

Why would they give a crap about what a third party does with the software they just bought.

Someone buys my car, I don't care if they know how to drive.

ByteDance also does not plan to allow a third-party company to access its TikTok algorithm.

What they are really worried about is allowing access to the secret sauce. Maybe it could be targeted back at gullible Chinese kids.

 

[AppleTO]

Even if their app distribution was blocked, they could just operate off a website, or would that be blocked as well?

 

[macintologist]

This was a stupid law. I have a much better compromise. The US government should block US/Canadian/Mexican cloud providers from serving the content. This means TikTok would still work, but it would have to connect to servers in Asia/Europe etc.

This would serve both sides. It would preserve free speech, but it would punish apps like TikTok that are basically vectors for national security threats by slowing down the connection speed and latency since it has to reach overseas to access the content.

Countries like China that block US websites/apps from operating in their own country should be punished and any website from China like TikTok should be similarly restricted in terms of lacking access to cloud servers/providers. But we will NEVER block websites at the US government level.

 

[delsoul]

Couldn't TikTok's servers simply be blocked at an ISP level?

Yes I know VPN's exist. But it would certainly lessen the appeal of the app. Trying to change your country settings on TikTok from another ones IP is a complete PITA, so you'd end up with content targeted to another country.

Long ago, Japanese based websites and companies were nefarious for requiring someone to sign up with a local phone number or a local .jp email address, which you needed to create from a local IP address. These days it’s a bit different in how you can go about it but it would still be a pain enough that many folks would just not go through the process unless they REALLY wanted to be on the platform

 

[alchemistmuffin]

It is possible that the ban on TikTok could be lifted or delayed by President-elect Donald Trump. According to CNBC, Trump told reporters on Monday that his administration will "take a look at TikTok." Trump tried to ban TikTok when he was in office, but said this year that he opposes the law that Congress passed.

Except that the law that was passed by congress was veto proof majority so that orange haired guy can’t do anything with usual procedure.

And SCOTUS will likely ignore this case and let the ruling stand for sake of national security.

If he decides to bypass congress and SCOTUS and make it up on his own, then he just set up a super dangerous precedent that POTUS is the ultimate power and can override the congress, something that can only dictators would do.

 

[delsoul]

Except that the law that was passed by congress was veto proof majority so that orange haired guy can’t do anything with usual procedure.

And SCOTUS will likely ignore this case and let the ruling stand for sake of national security.

If he decides to bypass congress and SCOTUS and make it up on his own, then he just set up a super dangerous precedent that POTUS is the ultimate power and can override the congress, something that can only dictators would do.

Just like SCOTUS telling you that you can’t forgive student loans, but you ignore them and go ahead and do it any way? Something that only dictators would do.

 

[hieranonymous]

JD Vance threatened to dissolve NATO if Europe tries to regulate Twitter, meanwhile we’re out here banning TikTok just because the algorithm isn’t doing our government’s bidding.

 

[switz]

Exactly. He told us he would be a dictator on day one. Believe him. That is not one of his too numerous to count lies.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

JD Vance threatened to dissolve NATO if Europe tries to regulate Twitter, meanwhile we’re out here banning TikTok just because the algorithm isn’t doing our government’s bidding.

JD Vance is the vice-president. He doesn't have any authority to do anything accept vote in the senate.

That said, I agree.