Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump’s TikTok Ban
Download the popular video-sharing app while you still can.
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With less than four hours to spare, a federal judge on Sunday blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to ban new TikTok downloads in the US.
In an emergency hearing over the weekend, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols , declining “at this time” to block restrictions set to take effect in mid-November.
TikTok owner ByteDance has been looking to sell the popular video-sharing app since President Trump , citing concerns about a Chinese-based company having access to US user data. In an effort to save the popular platform from sudden death, Oracle to acquire a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok Global, with plans to run the social network on Oracle Cloud. TikTok is also working on a , which tentatively agreed to purchase 7.5 percent of TikTok Global, with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon serving as one of its five board members.
A full U.S. ban, according to TikTok attorney John Hall, would have been an “extraordinary action at the very time when the need for free open and accessible communication in America is at its zenith,” he said during Sunday’s hearing, .
The Trump White House continues to believe TikTok’s ownership by a Chinese firm reflects an “immediate danger” to national security, the news site said. Government lawyers claim user data could fall into the hands of the Communist Party of China—a claim TikTok denies, explaining that it keeps U.S. intelligence stateside, with a backup in Singapore.
“We’re pleased that the court agreed with our legal arguments and issued a injunction preventing the implementation of [an] app ban,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement emailed to PCMag. “We will continue defending our rights for the benefit of our community and employees. At the same time, we will also maintain our ongoing dialogue with the government to turn our [proposed deal with Oracle], which the president gave his preliminary approval to last weekend, into an agreement.”
Editors’ Note: This story was updated at 7:40 a.m. ET with comment from TikTok.
With less than four hours to spare, a federal judge on Sunday blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to ban new TikTok downloads in the US.
In an emergency hearing over the weekend, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols , declining “at this time” to block restrictions set to take effect in mid-November.
TikTok owner ByteDance has been looking to sell the popular video-sharing app since President Trump , citing concerns about a Chinese-based company having access to US user data. In an effort to save the popular platform from sudden death, Oracle to acquire a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok Global, with plans to run the social network on Oracle Cloud. TikTok is also working on a , which tentatively agreed to purchase 7.5 percent of TikTok Global, with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon serving as one of its five board members.
