The TikTok and WeChat logos.Mark Schiefelbein / AP
A federal judge in Washington this Sunday ordered the precautionary suspension of the White House executive order that prevented the social network TikTok from continuing to operate normally in the United States.
The decision came just over six hours before the veto, scheduled for midnight, took effect.
The Donald Trump Administration has concluded that TikTok, owned by the Chinese company Bytedance, is a threat to the national security of the United States.
It is a very popular social network, especially among teenagers, where short videos are shared.
The White House believes that through the application the Chinese regime has access to data of US users who compromise national security.
Last August, Trump signed an executive order that forced the company to find a buyer in the United States or stop operating in the country.
A race to find a North American partner and negotiations in which Microsoft was involved began.
Finally, in mid-September an agreement was announced with Oracle and Walmart to buy 20% of TikTok.
Trump announced his "blessing" to the agreement, pending official ratification.
The president changed his mind just days later and said that he would not approve any agreement in which the Chinese company Bytedance retains part of the ownership of the social network.
The date on which TikTok was supposed to stop operating in the US (in practice, the
app
disappears from the Apple and Google stores and users can no longer download updates, making it obsolete) was last Sunday, but it was delayed until this Sunday pending a modification of the agreement.
Instead of submitting a new agreement, TikTok, which is a US company based in California, decided to file a lawsuit in a federal court in Washington DC on the 23rd in which it requested the precautionary suspension of the effects of the order.
TikTok argues that there is no urgency to justify this measure and that it has made "extraordinary efforts to meet ever-changing government demands and alleged national security concerns."
The network argued that the veto would cause irreparable damage to the company, due to the loss of the user community it has created, and the 100 million Americans who share videos on TikTok.
In addition, the company affirms that the aggressiveness of the White House is related to the electoral campaign and Trump's need to present himself as a leader who stands up to China.
Subscribe here to the weekly newsletter about the elections in the United States
