The U.S. Appeals Court will hear oral arguments regarding the TikTok ban case on December 14th, following months of legal battles and negotiations.

The controversy began when the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) prompted the Commerce Department to issue a U.S. download ban for TikTok. This order was subsequently blocked by a U.S. District Judge in September.

Key developments in the TikTok case:

• The Trump administration extended ByteDance's deadline to divest TikTok's U.S. assets
• ByteDance proposed creating "TikTok Global," owned by Oracle, Walmart, and U.S. investors
• ByteDance submitted four different proposals to address U.S. security concerns
• U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone blocked restrictions on TikTok's U.S. operations

The primary concern centers on national security, with the U.S. government claiming TikTok could share user data with the Chinese government. TikTok has consistently denied these allegations.

The December 14th hearing will determine whether the government can ban the app's U.S. operations. While the original ban is likely to remain blocked, the situation may continue evolving under the Biden administration.

President-elect Biden has expressed his own concerns about TikTok's influence, noting its access to over 100 million young Americans. However, it's unclear if his administration will pursue the ban, especially considering the proposed Oracle/Walmart deal would create a U.S.-based entity managing data for users in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The current legal indicators suggest the judge will likely maintain the decision to block the Commerce Department order, meaning TikTok will probably continue operating in the U.S. after December 14th.

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