The ongoing saga of TikTok's potential ban in the United States takes a dramatic turn as the company fires back with a lawsuit against the Biden administration. In a petition filed at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, parent company ByteDance alleges the administration's move is unconstitutional and violates freedom of speech.
This legal confrontation stems from a whirlwind of events. President Biden's signing of a law in April 2024, demanding ByteDance sell TikTok within a year, followed earlier legislation aiming to safeguard national security from "foreign adversary controlled applications". The primary accusation leveled against TikTok is the potential exposure of American user data to the Chinese government.
TikTok has vehemently denied these claims, asserting that it stores US-based user data on Oracle servers located within the country. CEO Shou Zi Chew has repeatedly pledged a continued fight to preserve the platform's presence.
With this new lawsuit, TikTok's determination to resist the ban becomes clear. They argue that the potential ban would not only stifle freedom of expression but also deny access to a massive global online community.
It's a landmark battle. If ByteDance fail in court, they will be forced to sell TikTok by January 19, 2025. The sale, however, would still require the approval of the Chinese government.