Millions of TikTok users could be in for a bit of shock come late January 2025. A federal appeals court ruled the ban or forced sale of TikTok by the Justice Department is constitutional and can move forward.
Back in April 2025, The Biden Administration argued that the law is necessary to protect national security interests from TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance. Such threats include data security breaches and possible foreign influence on American political campaigns.
TikTok lawyers countered and appealed, claiming the law infringes on free speech rights of millions of users on the popular app. They deny it could be used by the Chinese government to spy on, or manipulate, Americans.
However, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. on Friday, Dec. 6, sided with the Biden administration. The court ruled that the first amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States. It determined the government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.
TikTok now has until Jan. 19, 2025 to find a buyer and break ties with its China-based parent company or get an extension from the Biden administration if there is progress toward a sale. Ultimately, the social media platform could become unavailable in the United States.
This high profile case could wind-up in front of the U.S Supreme Court. It’s worth noting that President-elect Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he is against a ban on TikTok, having initially been in favor of one.
