TikTok is one of the world's most popular apps. The video-sharing social networking service can be addicting and entertaining. According to the U.S. Government, however, TikTok is not all fun and games. There are concerns that the social media app is a threat to privacy and data security, and thus TikTok was on a track to be banned in the U.S. However, a judge has just blocked the ban of the Chinese service, putting a hold on any action for now.

Before today, the most recent developments in this story led the public to believe that TikTok would be banned in the U.S. by the end of the month. However, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols granted an injunction that would halt the ban that was to take place on September 28, 2020. However, he denied a motion that would stop the second aspect of the ban, set to take place on November 12. So for now, that November 12 day is the next deadline. Judge Nichols made his decision public, but his full reasoning has been filed separately and is sealed away.

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Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that TikTok would be banned. The president has called the app "malicious," thanks in part due to the idea that it "automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users." TikTok has already been banned in other nations, including India. The President does have authorities when it comes to national protection, and in an ever-growing cyber world, the lines of national protection may be going beyond physical borders. This hold on the ban is seen as a setback for the Trump administration.

tiktok us ban

A part of the executive order is that owner ByteDance is to sell TikTok by a deadline, a deadline that has now passed. Companies such as Twitter and Microsoft have been attempting to purchase TikTok, but thus far the service is still owned by the Chinese company. According to the outcome of today's block of the ban, ByteDance and President Trump are in disagreement over the ownership structure.

If and when TikTok is sold, it will likely go for a large and perhaps even record-breaking amount. Microsoft has purchased Bethesda for $7.5 billion, Skype for $8.5 billion, GitHud for $7.5 billion, and LinkedIn for a whopping $26.2 billion. Perhaps the TikTok name is tainted and the value is tarnished thanks to the government stepping in, but a move could happen at some point soon.

Whatever the platform may or may not sell for, TikTok stars are making millions, as social media continues to be the modern way to become a celebrity success. The app is going strong through the legal issues, and it would be a shock to many if it was simply shut off one day thanks to an executive order. And it would cripple the growth of the company, according to TikTok.

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Source: Washington Post