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A group of TikTok creators said Tuesday they filed suit in US federal court seeking to block a law signed by President Biden that would force the divestiture of the short video app used by 170 million Americans or ban it, saying it has had “a profound effect on American life.”

The TikTok users suing include a Texas Marine Corps veteran who sells his ranch products, a Tennessee woman selling cookies and discussing parenting, a North Dakota college coach who makes sports commentary videos and a recent college graduate in North Carolina who advocates for the rights of sexual-assault survivors.

“Although they come from different places, professions, walks of life, and political persuasions, they are united in their view that TikTok provides them a unique and irreplaceable means to express themselves and form community,” said the lawsuit.

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, a law firm representing the creators, provided a copy of the lawsuit to Reuters it said had been filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The White House declined comment. A Justice Department spokesperson said the TikTok law “addresses critical national security concerns in a manner that is consistent with the First Amendment and other constitutional limitations. We look forward to defending the legislation in court.”

The suit, which seeks injunctive relief, says the law threatens free speech and “promises to shutter a discrete medium of communication that has become part of American life.”

Last week, TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance filed a similar lawsuit, arguing that the law violates the US Constitution on a number of grounds including running afoul of First Amendment free speech protections.

TikTok creators filed a similar suit in 2020 to block a prior attempt to block the app under then President Donald Trump, and also sued last year in Montana asking a court to block a state ban. In both instances, courts blocked the bans.

The law, signed by Biden on April 24, gives ByteDance until Jan. 19 to sell TikTok or face a ban. The White House has said it wants to see Chinese-based ownership ended on national security grounds but not a ban on TikTok.

The law prohibits app stores like Apple, and Alphabet’s Google, from offering TikTok and bars internet hosting services from supporting TikTok unless ByteDance divests TikTok.

The suit says to the extent the government may claim the law is needed to protect Americans data, “it has tried that strategy before and lost.” The suit says “the concerns are speculative, and even if they were not, they could be addressed with legislation much more narrowly tailored to any purported concern.”

The TikTok lawsuit said last week the divestiture “is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally … There is no question: the Act (law) will force a shutdown of TikTok by January 19, 2025.”

Driven by worries among US lawmakers that China could access data on Americans or spy on them with the app, the measure was passed overwhelmingly in Congress just weeks after being introduced.

The four-year battle over TikTok is a significant front in the ongoing conflict over the internet and technology between the United States and China. In April, Apple said China had ordered it to remove Meta Platform’s WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China over Chinese national security concerns.

Biden could extend the Jan. 19 deadline by three months if he determines ByteDance is making progress.

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US military says eight ‘narco-terrorists’ killed in strikes on three boats in Pacific

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US military says eight 'narco-terrorists' killed in strikes on three boats in Pacific

Eight people have been killed in US military strikes on three boats it has accused of smuggling drugs in the Pacific Ocean.

The US military’s Southern Command said the strikes targeted “designated terrorist organisations” killing three “narco-terrorists” in the first vessel, two in the second boat and three in the third.

No evidence the vessels were involved in drug trafficking has been given, but a video showing the strikes on the boats was posted on social media.

Southern Command added that defence secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the strikes, and claimed intelligence confirmed the vessels were using known drug trafficking routes and engaged in drug trafficking.

The US military said it carried out strikes in the Pacific Ocean on three boats it accused of trafficking drugs. Pic: X/@Southcom
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The US military said it carried out strikes in the Pacific Ocean on three boats it accused of trafficking drugs. Pic: X/@Southcom

One of the boats targeted during the strikes. Pic: X/@Southcom
Image:
One of the boats targeted during the strikes. Pic: X/@Southcom

It is unclear where the vessels were from, but the strikes mark the latest in Donald Trump‘s “war” with drug cartels, which has also seen vessels targeted in the Caribbean Sea, including near Venezuela.

Over the past several months, the US has been carrying out a large-scale military build-up in the southern Caribbean, with the stated goal of combating drug trafficking.

In its first lethal strike on 2 September, the White House posted on X that it had conducted a strike against “narcoterrorists” shipping fentanyl to the US, without providing evidence of the alleged crime.

Sky’s Data & Forensics unit last week verified that in the four months up to 10 December, 23 boats were targeted in 22 strikes, killing 87 people.

US forces also seized a crude oil tanker, named Skipper, off the coast of Venezuela last week.

The government in Caracas, led by President Nicolas Maduro, who insists the real purpose of the US military operations is to force him out of office, branded the ship’s seizure a “blatant theft” and an “act of international piracy”.

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On Monday, Mr Trump signed an executive order declaring fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction”.

The order instructs the State and Treasury departments to pursue the financial assets of and sanctions on financial institutions and groups involved in fentanyl trafficking.

It also calls for greater co-operation between the Pentagon and the Justice Department on fentanyl and drug trafficking issues.

The latest strikes on vessels allegedly trafficking drugs come on the eve of briefings on Capitol Hill for all members of Congress as questions mount over the Trump administration’s military actions.

Mr Hegseth, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and other top national security officials are expected to provide closed-door briefings for politicians in the House and Senate.

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FCA consults on UK crypto rules for exchanges, lending and DeFi

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FCA consults on UK crypto rules for exchanges, lending and DeFi

The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched a series of consultations on proposed rules for digital asset markets, marking the next phase in the government’s effort to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for crypto assets.

The proposals, published across three consultation papers, cover crypto trading platforms, intermediaries, staking, lending and borrowing, market abuse, disclosures and decentralized finance (DeFi). The FCA said consultation responses will be open until Feb. 12, 2026.

The regulator said the proposals aim to support innovation while ensuring that consumers understand the risks associated with crypto investment. It added that regulations should not eliminate risks entirely, but should ensure that participants operate responsibly and transparently. 

“Our goal is to have a regime that protects consumers, supports innovation and promotes trust,” said David Geale, the FCA’s executive director for payments and digital finance, adding that industry feedback will help shape the final rules.