US court denies TikTok’s plea to stop likely ban until Supreme Court review

The US has said it sees TikTok as a national security risk because ByteDance could be coerced by Chinese authorities [File: Clemens Bilan/EPA]

A United States federal appeals court has rejected a request by the social media platform TikTok to halt enforcement of a law requiring the company’s Chinese owners to divest or face a ban in the country until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge of the statute.

In a decision issued on Friday, the court rejected TikTok’s request, calling it “unwarranted”.