TikTok’s Appeal to Overturn Ban Bill Denied by Federal Court

UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that a bill aimed at banning TikTok was upheld by a Federal Court on December 6. TikTok’s attempt to overturn a law mandating it to sever ties with Chinese company ByteDance was rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals, which contended against the app using First Amendment rights for free expression as its defense. The court’s decision explained that “The First Amendment is designed to safeguard freedom of speech within the United States.” Judge Douglas Ginsburg further wrote in his opinion, “In this case, the Government acted solely with the intention to shield that freedom from a hostile foreign nation and to restrict that adversary’s capacity to collect data on U.S. citizens.