TikTok files lawsuit against US government
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance have filed a lawsuit against the US government over a law that paves the way for the social media app to be divested or banned if it is not sold.
AA
TikTok has filed a lawsuit against the US government over a law that paves the way for its ban.
In the lawsuit filed with the Court of Appeals in the capital Washington, it was argued that the law in question is unconstitutional.
The petition stated that the sale required by the law to allow TikTok to continue operating in the US is "neither commercially, technologically, nor legally" possible.
The bill, which paves the way for the divestment of TikTok, whose parent company is the Chinese firm ByteDance, or its ban if not divested, was signed into law by US President Joe Biden on April 24.
The law, which paves the way for banning TikTok on the grounds that it "poses a national security threat," gives the Chinese firm ByteDance until January 19, 2025, to divest the platform. Otherwise, it is expected that TikTok will be removed from internet app stores in the US.
Those who supported the bill, which was passed with the joint votes of Republicans and Democrats, argue that information belonging to American citizens obtained by the Beijing-based ByteDance firm through TikTok is being transmitted to the Chinese government.
Members of Congress who oppose the bill state that the claim that TikTok collects data and transmits it to China remains unproven and that banning the application could mean "a restriction of freedom of expression."
TikTok management, on the other hand, claims that these allegations do not reflect the truth and that they operate entirely according to American laws, just like other social media platforms in the US.