TikTok Challenges Ban in US: Here’s Where It’s Already Banned
The United States Justice Department hears the arguments over the potential TikTok ban in the United States.| Credit: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images/
Key Takeaways
- TikTok has attempted to challenge a U.S. ban.
- The Chinese-owned company’s lawyer alleged that the U.S. government had unfairly targeted it for censorship.
- The case will likely go to the Supreme Court if an appeal is approved.
A lawyer from TikTok and parent company ByteDance has attempted to convince a federal appeals court to block a U.S. law that would ban the application by Jan. 19, 2025.
On Monday, Sept. 17, three federal judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard two hours of arguments from TikTok, which argued that the ban violates Americans’ free speech.
TikTok Argues Against Ban
TikTok’s lawyer, Andrew Pincus, alleged that the U.S. government had unfairly targeted the company for censorship due to its foreign ownership.
Congress passed a law in April 2024 requiring the Chinese-owned company to shut down the U.S. arm of TikTok or sell the company to a U.S. entity.
Pincus argued that the U.S. government had not adequately shown how the application poses security risks to the country.
Speaking on Monday, Pincus told the court that the law was “unprecedented, and its effect would be staggering.”
“For the first time in history, Congress has expressly targeted a specific U.S. speaker banning its speech and the speech of 170 million Americans,” Pincus said.
What Happens Next?
The case will likely go to the Supreme Court if an appeal is approved.
The court has been asked to make a ruling by December, leaving time for a proper appeal before the Jan. 19, 2025, deadline.
Reuters previously reported that ByteDance would rather shut down TikTok than sell it to a U.S. company.
The algorithms TikTok relies on for its platform to run are integral to ByteDance’s overall operations, according to sources cited by Reuters, making the prospect of a sale unlikely.
Where Is TikTok Banned?
| Country | Date of Ban | Info |
|---|---|---|
| U.K. | March 16, 2023 | The U.K. government banned TikTok from all government electronic devices. |
| Australia | April 4, 2023 | TikTok is currently banned on all Australian government devices. |
| New Zealand | March 17, 2023 | TikTok is currently banned on all government devices in New Zealand. |
| France | March 23, 2023 | TikTok is currently banned on all government devices in France . |
|
U.S. |
January 1, 2024
February 28, 2023 |
Montana became the first U.S. state to enforce an outright ban of TikTok from residents’ personal devices.
The U.S. government also banned TikTok from government phones. |
|
Austria |
May 10, 2023 | TikTok is currently banned on all government devices in Austria. |
|
Afghanistan |
April 22, 2022 | The Taliban enforced a nationwide ban on TikTok, claiming it misled youths. |
| India | June 29, 2020 | India enforced a nationwide ban of TikTok and 58 other Chinese-owned phone apps. |
| Canada | February 28, 2023 | Canada has banned TikTok from government mobile phones. |
| Denmark | February 28, 2023 | TikTok is currently banned on all government devices in Denmark. |
|
Taiwan |
December 2022 |
Taiwan banned all government devices from using Chinese-made software, including TikTok, in December 2022. |
| Somalia | August 21, 2023 |
Somalia banned TikTok, Telegram and online betting website 1XBet over propaganda concerns.
|
| Uzbekistan | July 2, 2021 | TikTok became unavailable in Uzbekistan after the country declared it in “violation of the law on personal data.” |
| Norway | March 23, 2023 | TikTok is currently banned on all government devices in Norway. |
Taken from publicly available data and compiled by CCN.
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