“TikTok Files a Lawsuit Against US Legislation, TikTok and ByteDance contend that the app ban breaches free speech protections outlined in the US Constitution.”
TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, filed a lawsuit in US federal court on Tuesday, aiming to halt a law signed by President Joe Biden. The law would either mandate the divestment of the short video app, used by 170 million Americans, or prohibit its operation.
TikTok Files a Lawsuit Challenging US Legislation
The companies lodged their TikTok files a lawsuit in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, contending that the law breaches the US Constitution on various counts, notably infringing upon First Amendment free speech safeguards.
Tiktok files a lawsuit, the companies stated, “Congress has, for the first time in history, enacted a law subjecting a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban.” They argued that divestiture “is simply not feasible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally. … The Act (law) will unquestionably result in the shutdown of TikTok by January 19, 2025, depriving 170 million Americans of their means of communication in unique ways.”
The White House desires an end to Chinese-based ownership due to national security concerns but opposes a TikTok ban. Both the White House and the Justice Department declined to comment on the lawsuit.
This legal action marks TikTok’s latest effort to stay ahead of attempts to shutter its operations in the United States, while competitors such as Snap and Meta seek to benefit from TikTok’s political uncertainty by attracting advertising revenue away from the platform.
TikTok files a lawsuit against US legislation marks a pivotal moment in its ongoing struggle to maintain its presence in the American market.
Driven by concerns among US lawmakers about potential Chinese access to American data or espionage via the app, the legislation passed overwhelmingly in Congress shortly after introduction.
TikTok has refuted claims that it shares or would ever share US user data, dismissing lawmakers’ concerns as “speculative.”
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the leading Democrat on a House committee on China, asserted that the legislation “is the only way to address the national security threat posed by ByteDance’s ownership of apps like TikTok.” He urged ByteDance to initiate the divestment process rather than continuing “deceptive tactics.”
The law prohibits app stores like Apple and Alphabet’s Google from offering TikTok and prohibits internet hosting services from supporting TikTok unless ByteDance divests TikTok by January 19.
In Tiktok files a lawsuit highlighted that the Chinese government “has indicated that it would not allow a divestment of the recommendation engine that is crucial to TikTok’s success in the United States.”
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