It appears that TikTok is strongly committed to keeping its presence in the United States. The popular Chinese-owned social media app has recently sued the U.S. government in an attempt to block a newly passed bill that aims to ban the app nationwide. As previously reported, President Joe Biden signed legislation last month that gives TikTok until January 2025 to either sell to an American-approved company or face a ban across the country.
In response, TikTok’s CEO has been clear that the company intends to challenge the bill, which they officially did today (Tuesday, May 6th). TikTok, which is owned by the China-based parent company ByteDance, has filed a lawsuit arguing that the ban infringes on Americans’ First Amendment rights by
“[stifling] their speech and [preventing] them from accessing lawful information.”
“[The US government] has taken the unprecedented step of expressly singling out and banning [TikTok]…For the first time in history…Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than 1 billion people worldwide,”
the lawsuit states.
US government officials have long advocated for a ban on TikTok due to concerns about Chinese ownership and potential data exposure. Former President Donald Trump has also supported the ban on TikTok, which is now being implemented by his successor. TikTok has filed a lawsuit to challenge the ban in the D.C. Circuit Court, but there is no information on the US response yet.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
