TikTok Files Lawsuit to Block US Ban and Preserve Free Expression for Its 170 Million Users

Tiktok, a popular video-sharing app owned by Chinese company Bytedance, has filed a lawsuit against the US government to block a law that would ban the app in the United States if Bytedance does not sell its operations in the country. The companies filed their case with the US Court of Appeals in response to the Tiktok Act, which was passed by the US Congress at the end of April and signed by President Joe Biden.

Bytedance and Tiktok argue that selling Tiktok’s US operations is not technologically or legally possible and that the law will force Tiktok to close its operations by January 19, 2025. The companies claim that shutting down the app will silence the 170 million Americans who use the platform for communication.

The US administration has stated that their goal is to remove Chinese ownership of Tiktok, not ban it entirely. However, concerns about national security risks posed by Tiktok have been raised in the US, and some politicians are advocating for a total ban on Chinese apps operating in American territory.

The lawsuit implies that Bytedance has no intention of finding a buyer for Tiktok’s US operations within the law’s deadline. The ongoing legal dispute between the companies and the US government may require public presentation of classified documents to justify Tiktok’s threat to national security. If a buyer for Tiktok’s operations is not found before January 19th, 2025, it will be banned from both Apple and Google app stores.