TikTok’s appeal should be thrown out, US justice department tells court

Officials insist China-based owner ByteDance must separate from its short video app in the US because it is a threat to national security and citizens’ data

The US justice department has asked an appeals court to reject legal challenges to a law requiring China-based ByteDance to divest itself of TikTok’s US assets by 19 January or face a ban.

TikTok, parent company ByteDance and a group of TikTok creators have filed suits seeking to block the law, which could ban the app used by 170 million Americans.