TikTok faced significant challenges during its two-hour appeal against a nationwide ban before federal judges, with discussions centered on foreign ownership and constitutional rights under US law.

Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit highlighted that while restrictions on US-based companies would raise First Amendment concerns, this case specifically addresses foreign ownership of US companies and their algorithmic influence on American content consumption.

Key points from the hearing:

• The legislation specifically targets companies linked to adversary nations, including China
• US government attorney Daniel Tenny emphasized that TikTok's code is developed in China
• TikTok's legal team countered that only partial code originates from China, with significant content curation decisions made in the US
• The court must rule before January 19, the deadline set by legislation

The law, passed swiftly through Congress this spring, addresses concerns about TikTok's Chinese connections and potential access to American user data.

The outcome remains uncertain, but the court's decision will have significant implications for social media platforms with foreign ownership and their operations within the United States.

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