Justice Department Urges Court to Uphold TikTok Divestment Law

The Justice Department has asked a U.S. appeals court to reject challenges to a law requiring ByteDance, TikTok's China-based owner, to sell its U.S. assets by January 19 or face a ban. The law aims to mitigate national security risks, such as data collection and covert content manipulation by the Chinese government.

The Department of Justice has moved to have legal challenges against a divestment law requiring TikTok's China-based owner, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. assets by January 19 dismissed. The law was put in place to address serious national security concerns.

According to the Justice Department, TikTok's Chinese ownership allows for data collection and covert content manipulation, posing a potential threat to U.S. national security. The department also plans to submit classified documents detailing additional security concerns.

Despite TikTok's assurances that it would never share U.S. user data with China, the U.S. government contends that measures to protect user data are insufficient. Oral arguments on the legal challenge are set for September 16, amidst the final weeks of the 2024 presidential election.

(With inputs from agencies.)