TikTok sues US government

TikTok and its Chinese owner ByteDance have filed a lawsuit against the US government over a law that would allow the social media app to be transferred or otherwise banned. The lawsuit, filed with the Court of Appeals in Washington, DC, claims that the law in question is unconstitutional. The lawsuit states that the sale required by the law to allow TikTok to operate in the US is “neither commercially, technologically nor legally” possible. The bill that would allow the transfer of TikTok, of which Chinese company ByteDance is the main partner, and otherwise ban it in the US, was signed into law by US President Joe Biden on April 24. The law, which would allow the ban of TikTok on the grounds that it “poses a national security threat,” gives Chinese company ByteDance until January 19, 2025 to transfer the platform. Otherwise, TikTok is expected to be removed from US internet app stores. Supporters of the bill, which was passed by a joint vote of Republicans and Democrats, argue that information about American citizens obtained by Beijing-based ByteDance 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 needs to be proven and that banning the app could amount to "restricting freedom of expression." TikTok management claims that these claims do not reflect the truth and that they operate in the US, like other social media platforms, entirely in accordance with American laws.