A federal appeals court has upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in its current form in the United States unless the app’s owner agrees to a sale.
This decision follows ongoing concerns over data privacy and national security related to the popular social media platform.
The law in question requires TikTok to either restructure its ownership or face a ban if it fails to comply.
The social media giant is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company, which has been under scrutiny due to its potential ties with the Chinese government.
The U.S. government has argued that these ties could pose a risk to national security by allowing access to American user data.
In the recent court ruling, the presiding judge stated that the law could withstand constitutional scrutiny. This implies that the court found the legislative measure to be within legal bounds to address the pressing concerns it sought to tackle.
TikTok has consistently denied any improper usage of users’ data, asserting that it does not share information with the Chinese government.
The company has proposed various measures to alleviate security concerns, including relocating data storage for American users to U.S.-based facilities.