Audio By Carbonatix
Chinese video service TikTok has begun a legal challenge against the Trump administration over plans to shut it down in the US on 12 November.
President Donald Trump ordered a ban on new downloads of the viral video service on that date unless ByteDance was purchased by a US firm.
TikTok said it had worked since August attempting to comply with the order, issued amid security concerns.
TikTok asks Donald Trump: 'Are we still banned?' https://t.co/yFP55SjQmH
— BBC News Technology (@BBCTech) November 11, 2020
It said it had had no feedback from the US government in two months.
"TikTok has actively engaged with CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) in good faith to address its national security concerns, even as we disagree with its assessment," the firm said in a statement.
"In the nearly two months since the president gave his preliminary approval to our proposal to satisfy those concerns, we have offered detailed solutions to finalise that agreement but have received no substantive feedback on our extensive data privacy and security framework."
That included a new proposal that would "create a new entity wholly owned by Oracle, Walmart and existing US investors in ByteDance, that would be responsible for handling TIkTok's US user data and content moderation".
It added that it had filed a court petition with the US Appeals Court to "defend our rights and those of our more than 1,500 employees in the US".
It is seeking a court review of the original order and a 30-day extension on discussions.
The political landscape has obviously changed since August, and with Joe Biden winning the presidency and due to take over in January, TikTok is likely to be questioning whether he will have a different approach to Chinese firms working in the US.
A potential deal which would have seen ByteDance agree to sell part of its US business to Oracle and Walmart has never been approved by the Chinese government, despite a tentative green light from President Trump.
Latest Stories
-
KMA boss declares war on sex workers, migrant beggars in Kumasi
2 minutes -
Fuel prices, policy rigidities and the case for a Pricing Regulatory Commission
3 minutes -
UK High Commissioner urges patience as Ghanaian PhD students await scholarship payments
8 minutes -
Kotoko’s Karim Zito and Prince Yaw Owusu charged after GoldStars game
14 minutes -
Joy FM sets stage for Big Workout 2026 at University of Ghana Stadium
18 minutes -
Today’s front pages: Monday, January 19, 2026
48 minutes -
Ghanaian family disowns relative after fraud conviction in Australia
58 minutes -
GoldBod data shows 98.8% of Ghana’s small scale gold exports went to Dubai and India in 2025
59 minutes -
Kofi Bentil says Ofori-Atta is hesitant to return over treatment, not charges
1 hour -
GSA debunks cement price hike claims, says Jan. 19 increase is false
1 hour -
Driver rams into robbers, foils MoMo robbery at Darkuman
1 hour -
Smallholders at the centre: Why innovation and diversification are pivotal for Africa’s food future
1 hour -
Plans underway to establish museum on northern Ghana’s slave history in Navrongo
2 hours -
4 killed including two children as runaway truck ploughed into Salon at Kumawu
2 hours -
Open letter to Chief Justice on judicial security, specialised prosecution and extradition
2 hours
