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TikTok logo on an office building in California
Photo: MIKE BLAKE / REUTERS
The US government has suffered another setback in court in its crackdown on the TikTok video app.
A judge in the state of Pennsylvania suspended an order from the Department of Commerce on Friday that would mean the complete end of TikTok in the US by November 12.
It issued an injunction at the request of three TikTok users who earn their living on the platform.
A judge in Washington had previously suspended the download stop for the TikTok app planned for the end of September, also with an injunction.
The US government appealed against it.
Due to the download stop, TikTok should disappear from the American app stores of Apple and Google.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
US President Donald Trump describes the app as a security risk because Chinese authorities could use it to obtain data from US citizens.
He wants to force at least the US business of TikTok to come under the control of American owners.
The government in China torpedoed talks about a sale with a new rule prohibiting the export of software algorithms without special permission.
The situation around TikTok remains unclear overall.
Trump had already announced that he had approved a fundamental deal that was to secure the continued existence of TikTok in the USA through the entry of the American companies Oracle and Walmart.
But since then there have been contradicting statements as to whether the new US partners or ByteDance should hold the majority in the global TikTok business - and the conclusion of a final agreement is apparently still being delayed.
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cop / dpa
