In her ruling, Judge Beetlestone said the order would “have the effect of shutting down, within the United States, a platform for expressive activity used by about 700 million individuals globally.”“Over 100 million of these TikTok users are within the United States, and at least 50 million of these U.S. users use the app on a daily basis,” Judge Beetlestone added. The Trump administration contends that TikTok poses national security concerns, claiming that personal data collected on Americans who use the app could be obtained by China’s government. The Commerce Department, which did not immediately comment on Friday, has acknowledged that the restrictions would “significantly reduce the functionality and usability of the app in the United States” and “may ultimately make the application less effective.”TikTok denies the allegations. The company said in a statement on Friday that it was “deeply moved by the outpouring of support” from its users “who have worked to protect their rights to expression.”A preliminary deal has been reached for Walmart and Oracle to take stakes in a new company, TikTok Global, that would oversee U.S. operations, and talks to complete the deal have been continuing. President Trump said last month that the deal had his “blessing.”

Source: New York Times October 30, 2020 22:29 UTC