TikTok threatens to go to U.S. Supreme Court over failure

TikTok is trying to head off what is coming to an end in the United States in a few weeks by filing a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court. The video app's operators initially hoped to get an extension through an emergency application.

Because under a U.S. law that took effect in April, video apps must change hands before January 19. Otherwise, it should be banned from US app stores and lose access to infrastructure.

President Joe Biden could extend the deadline by another three months, but only if sales talks are promising by then. TikTok has so far refused to even consider a change of ownership. The app claims to have 170 million users in the United States.

Thank you Trump for the glimmer of hope

On January 20, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the next President of the United States. During his first term, his attempts to sell TikTok failed in court. During the campaign, he spoke out against banning the platform. On Monday, Trump said TikTok “has a place in his heart.”

He himself is not above the law. However, responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the law will fall to his new administration’s Ministry of Justice. According to CNN and NBC reports, Trump hopes to meet with TikTok owner Shou Zi Chew.

Sales laws hold up in court

Lately, TikTok's situation in the United States has been looking increasingly bleak. Last week, the service lost an appeals court challenge to the law.

TikTok argued there that the law violated free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution. However, the appeals court noted in its ruling that, among other things, the law was consistent with longstanding regulatory practice and that the U.S. Congress did not want to suppress certain claims. TikTok also called the Supreme Court an “unprecedented restriction” on free speech.

China’s influence and espionage are worrisome

The video platform is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. The law cites the risk that China could gain access to Americans' data and exert influence.

In the United States, ByteDance is viewed as a Chinese company that transcends party lines. TikTok countered that nearly 60% of Bytedance’s shares are held by Western investors. The company is headquartered in the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. However, American politicians have emphasized that the Chinese founders hold control with a relatively high voting power of about 20%, and that ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing and cannot escape the influence of the authorities.

Meanwhile, TikTok itself noted in the lawsuit that the Chinese government wants to block sales of the recommendation software developed in China that is at the heart of the app. The algorithm decides which video is shown next and is very sensitive to factors such as how long you watch a clip on a topic.

Pay attention to young voters

For Republican Trump and his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, TikTok is important as a platform for them to reach young voters.

In the US presidential election on November 5, more than half of young voters voted for Harris. However, Trump has made significant gains among this age group compared to the 2020 election — a trend that is evident among other groups of voters as well.

(DSC/SDA/DPA)

An international operation has uncovered two massive Russian money laundering networks that “traded” billions of dollars in cryptocurrency. Middle: Ransomware gangs and Putin.

For years, Russian oligarchs, ransomware gangs and other criminals have exploited Russia's sophisticated money-laundering networks to move and reinvest large amounts of money abroad.