The deadline for ByteDance to complete the sale of TikTok has come and gone, but a judge has blocked the ban, giving the company more time.
The Trump administration labeled TikTok a security and privacy threat, threatening to ban it unless ByteDance sold its US operations to an American company. A date was set for the ban, although Oracle—partnered with Walmart—quickly emerged as the buyer.
The deal almost immediately ran into issues, however, as Oracle was only buying a 20% stake in the company, not the full ownership Trump had wanted. At the same time, China changed its export rules to block selling what it deemed sensitive technology, including the algorithm that forms the backbone of the social media platform.
To make matters worse, TikTok accused the government of not communicating with it, despite repeated attempts to meet the administration’s demands. This led the Commerce Department to signal it would not move to enforce the ban immediately.
Now a judge has stepped in to ensure TikTok’s ban won’t go into effect. According to CNET, District Judge Carl Nichols said the government had “likely overstepped” its authority in its attempts to ban TikTok.
While the Commerce Department said it will cooperate with the judge’s order, it is now saying it will “vigorously defend” the ban.
