A group of three TikTok users has successfully sued against the requirement to block TikTik in the US. The app would have been blocked if an American party didn’t acquire it before November 12th.
The plaintiffs consist of Douglas Marland, Cosette Rinab and Alex Chambers. All three of them earn their money by creating content on the Chinese social media platform. They thought it was unacceptable for the Trump Cabinet to deny them access to their source of income.
Exception
Wendy Beeltestone, a judge at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, agrees with the plaintiffs. She regards the TikTok ban as misuse of presidential emergency powers.
The court considered allowing the shut down of TikTok, provided an exception was made for the plaintiffs. In that case, however, an exception would have to be made for anyone who follows their TikTok profiles, which would be very cumbersome. Thus, the court issued an order to keep the service on the air in its entirety.
Blockade
Earlier this year, the United States decided to ban transactions with Chinese social media apps such as WeChat and TikTok. With the action, the government wanted to “protect national security.
Microsoft attempted to acquire the American TikTok branch, but this offer was eventually rejected. Currently, Oracle and Walmart are trying to acquire the platform, but the Chinese authorities have not yet approved that deal.
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