Trump administration appeals order blocking TikTok ban

The Trump administration is pushing forward with its effort to restrict the use of the widely popular video sharing app TikTok in the U.S., filing an appeal on Monday over a federal judge’s order that prohibited the government from banning TikTok downloads in the U.S. 

The Justice Department filed an appeal over a Dec. 7 order by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols that blocked the government from banning people from downloading the Chinese-owned app. 

Nichols’s order earlier this month followed an October order from U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Pennsylvania. Beetlestone issued an injunction against the ban in a case brought by content creators that argued the TikTok ban would have a negative effect on their income. 

The latest action by the Trump administration comes as the president’s efforts to limit TikTok have stalled during his last few weeks in office. 

President Trump issued an executive order in August calling for ByteDance to divest TikTok over national security concerns. TikTok has denied the allegations.

The president tentatively approved a deal in September that would establish a U.S.-headquartered TikTok Global with partial U.S.-based owners, Oracle and Walmart. But the deal was not officially approved, and the deadline passed earlier this month — after two delays — without a final deal being reached. 

As the deadline passed, a Treasury Department spokesperson said the government was engaging with ByteDance to complete the divestment. 

It remains unclear whether the Trump administration’s concerns over TikTok will be resolved before the president leaves office next month, and if President-elect Joe Biden will push forward with Trump’s efforts.