TikTok Gets US Reprieve, though the Concern Remains

TikTok received a stay of execution as the US Department of Commerce blocked a ban on the social media app which was due to take effect 12 November. The DoC said in a statement that it was complying with an injunction ordered by a district court preventing the US government banning the service.

But this doesn’t clear the service entirely, with other legal moves ongoing which could ultimately see the block imposed, the department warned. Reuters reported the US Department of Justice launched an unsuccessful eleventh-hour appeal of the court injunction on the ban.

TikTok owner ByteDance asked a US court to overturn an order requesting it to divest its operations in the US, adding it was awaiting a month-long extension as it did not have sufficient clarity on a proposal to sell the business to Oracle and Walmart. The company is also challenging the ban in court, claiming the move was driven by political motives and violated its rights.