TikTok sues US over potential nationwide ban
By Ryan General
TikTok is suing the U.S. government in a last-ditch effort to block a new law that could result in its complete ban in the country.
Key points:
- A new law signed by President Joe Biden in April requires parent company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok within nine months or face a complete ban.
- TikTok and ByteDance filed a lawsuit in a Washington appeals court this week, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment.
- The suit asserts that a forced sale within the law’s nine-month timeframe is impossible.
The details:
- Biden on April 24 signed the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. It effectively restricts ByteDance from controlling TikTok’s algorithm, potentially placing the app under U.S. ownership.
- TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew vowed to fight the new legislation in the courts. The suit, which was filed on Tuesday, claims that the law unfairly targets TikTok, purportedly setting a dangerous precedent for government censorship.
- The suit highlights TikTok’s efforts to address security concerns, pointing to their partnership with Oracle to store U.S. user data on American servers. It also mentions their data security and content moderation initiative called “Project Texas.”
- The suit also delves into the technical complexities of a forced sale, arguing that it would be near impossible to separate the U.S. platform from the global TikTok app. Additionally, the Chinese government has reportedly refused to allow the sale of the algorithm that curates user feeds, further complicating the sale.
- ByteDance has repeatedly denied that TikTok shares user data with China. However, Beijing’s national security law reportedly requires Chinese companies to cooperate with authorities when data is requested.
What’s next:
- Legal experts expect TikTok to request a temporary injunction to block the law while the suit progresses. Granting it would effectively pause the forced sale while the potential years-long court fight unfolds.
- The app is expected to continue to operate as the company challenges the imposed restrictions until the Jan. 19, 2025 deadline.
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