TikTok petitioned the US Supreme Court to halt a law mandating its Chinese parent, ByteDance, to divest or close the app by January 19. This appeal coincided with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s meeting with President-elect Trump, who expressed interest in reviewing the app despite the law signed by President Biden.
TikTok asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to temporarily block a law that would force its Chinese owner to sell the popular online video-sharing platform or shut it down a month from now.
The appeal to the nation’s top court came on the same day that TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew met with US President-elect Donald Trump, according to an NBC News report.
At a press conference Monday, Trump said he has “a warm spot” for TikTok and that his administration would take a look at the app and the potential for a ban.
The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless its owner ByteDance divests from the app by January 19.
TikTok asked for the move to be put on hold while it challenges a lower court ruling that upheld the law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, potentially with an appeal to the Supreme Court itself.
TikTok asked the nation’s top court to make a decision by January 6.
“Congress has enacted a massive and unprecedented speech restriction,” TikTok, which claims to have more than 170 million monthly US users, said in its filing with the Supreme Court.
(AFP)