US officials and lawmakers have accused ByteDance of being linked to the Chinese government.
Many have cited national security concerns over the app, claiming that it could be forced by Beijing to hand over data about its 170 million US users.
The US Justice Department has said that because of its Chinese parent company, and access to data on American users, TikTok poses “a national-security threat of immense depth and scale”.
In April 2024, US Congress passed a bill, which President Joe Biden signed into law, giving ByteDance nine months to find a US-approved buyer or see TikTok shut down across the US.
TikTok and ByteDance deny being linked to the Chinese government, or that any data would be handed over. They have also previously ruled out a sale.
The firms have filed multiple legal challenges against the law, saying it is “unconstitutional” and would have a “staggering” impact on free speech by censoring its US users.
They have said that even a temporary ban in early 2025 would have “devastating effects” on their operations and users.
