Decision in TikTok appeal against US law which could ban app is due | BBC News

Now the fate of TikTok in North America could be decided this week in a decision due today. A federal appeals court is set to say whether or not they uphold an appeal by TikTok over a U.S. law which demands the social media app is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. So what can we expect today? That’s what I put to social media expert Jasmine Enberg earlier.

It’s not looking good for TikTok right now, given the difficult day that it had in court in September. And as you mentioned, we are expecting a decision today. There are a lot of different ways that this could shake out. We could see the judges uphold the law, in which case TikTok will appeal to the Supreme Court pretty quickly. We could also see the judges uphold the law but say that it is unfair to TikTok because it singles out one specific company, which could then lead to a delay. Or we could see the judges strike down the law. Now, that law scenario is probably the least likely, again, given how the court day played out in September. But what we do know is that there is still a lot up in the air, and this saga is going to continue, especially given that one day after the deadline for the “divest or be banned” law on January 20th, Donald Trump is due to take office here.

Well, that’s a really interesting point because he prompted this ban. He was in favor of it; he was a big backer of it, and now he seems to have changed his tune. Why?

Well, he was the first to try to ban TikTok back in 2020, and he did that through an executive order, which ultimately failed. Now, since then, we have seen him join TikTok. To your point, he has also said that he opposes banning TikTok, and there are reports that suggest he would try to halt the enforcement of the ban once he takes office. Now, that is a lot easier said than done. So, while Trump could be a lifeline for TikTok, there is still a long way to go for that to actually happen. For one, many of the people he has picked for his administration support a ban. Project 2025 also clearly lays out a ban, so relying on Trump to save TikTok is not really a strong strategy here.

Jasmine Enberg there…

• uphold /ʌpˈhoʊld/ (v) – To confirm or support a decision or law.
  SYN: maintain, support.

• Supreme Court /suːˈpriːm kɔːrt/ (n) – The highest court in a country or state.
  SYN: highest court, apex court.
• strike down /straɪk daʊn/ (phr v) – To declare a law invalid or unconstitutional.
  SYN: invalidate, overturn.
• scenario /səˈnæriːoʊ/ (n) – A possible situation or outcome.
  SYN: situation, case.
• take office /teɪk ˈɒfɪs/ (phr v) – To begin a role or position, usually in government.
  SYN: assume position, start term.
• prompt /prɑːmpt/ (v) – To cause something to happen.
  SYN: trigger, provoke.
• in favour of /ɪn ˈfeɪvər əv/ (phr) – Supporting something or someone.
  SYN: supporting, for.
• a backer /ə ˈbækər/ (n) – Someone who supports or funds a person, project, or idea.
  SYN: supporter, sponsor.
• oppose /əˈpoʊz/ (v) – To disagree with or resist something.
  SYN: resist, object to.
• enforcement /ɪnˈfɔːrsmənt/ (n) – The act of making sure a law or rule is followed.
  SYN: implementation, application.
• lifeline /ˈlaɪflaɪn/ (n) – Something that provides help or support in a difficult situation.
  SYN: support, aid.

• lay out a ban /leɪ aʊt ə bæn/ (phr) – To clearly explain or plan a prohibition.
  SYN: outline, establish.