TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has announced plans to appeal a U.S. federal appeals court ruling that upheld a law requiring its parent company, ByteDance, to sell the popular video app in the U.S. by January 19, 2025. The ruling, which is part of a broader effort to address national security concerns, threatens to ban the app unless the sale goes through.
In an internal memo, Chew confirmed that TikTok would seek an injunction to delay the law’s implementation, arguing that it violates the First Amendment rights of millions of American users. With over 170 million users in the U.S., TikTok claims that the evidence for national security threats is speculative and flawed, and continues to challenge the law as a breach of free speech principles.
The company is now preparing to take its case to the U.S. Supreme Court, hoping to prevent the ban from silencing American voices on the platform.
