TikTok Fights for Its Life in Court

Issue #273 | Sept. 17, 2024

Yesterday, Andrew Pincus, a lawyer representing TikTok, endured several hours of questioning in an appeal hearing. The platform is currently fighting for its survival against a bill forcing the app to sell its assets to a US-based buyer by Jan. 19 or face a nationwide ban.

While TikTok focused its arguments on protecting the First Amendment rights of Americans, the US Justice Department focused on national security.

The panel of three judges acknowledged that protecting First Amendment rights was a concern in this case. The judges, however, also focused much of their energy on grilling TikTok over why those rights should override national security.

Both the Justice Department and TikTok have requested that a decision be made by December, considering the bill’s impending Jan. 19 deadline. The case is expected to go to the Supreme Court — we’ll follow along to keep you posted on the developments.

– Grace Stanley, Deputy Editor

PLATFORMS

TikTok Fights For Its Life In US Appeals Hearing

It’s crunch time.

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

TikTok faces hearing to fight for its life

→ READ THE FULL STORY

The 29th Annual Webby Awards is now open! This year, a new generation of creatives will make their mark as Webby Winners. With a dedicated suite of categories for Creators, now’s your chance. Create Your Mark and enter before the Early Entry Deadline on Oct. 25 here.

LEARN MORE

IN THE BIZ

Twitch is banning “waiting room” streams that rebroadcast other creators’ content without adding any original commentary or value.
X announced its new gaming affiliate program with big-name partners like Dream and Sapnap.
Meta is resuming AI training on public Facebook and Instagram posts in the UK, allowing users to opt out of the program.
Sephora and TikTok are partnering again to help beauty brands create inclusive branded content with creators and musicians.