ByteDance and TikTok filed an emergency motion on Monday asking an appeals court to temporally block the law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. unless the social network divests from Chinese ownership by January 19.
Reuters reports that the companies warned in the motion that without the order, the law will go into effect and “shut down TikTok—one of the nation’s most popular speech platforms—for its more than 170 million domestic monthly users on the eve of a presidential inauguration.”
The companies filed the motion a few days after a federal appeals court unanimously voted to uphold the sell-or-ban law. TikTok responded to the ruling by signaling its plans to appeal to the Supreme Court, noting that it believes the country’s highest court will protect Americans’ right to free speech.
TikTok may also get a lifeline from President-elect Donald Trump, who promised voters that he would save the popular social media app if elected.
