TikTok Lawsuit Sues U-S

TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. federal government to challenge a law that would ban the popular video-sharing app unless it’s sold to another company. Here are the key details:

Background: The law in question is part of a larger $95 billion foreign aid package signed by President Joe Biden. It requires ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) to either sell TikTok within nine months or face a ban.

The Lawsuit: TikTok and ByteDance argue that the law is “obviously unconstitutional”. They claim that the sponsors of the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act are trying to portray it as a regulation of TikTok’s ownership rather than an outright ban.

ByteDance has stated that it doesn’t have any plans to sell TikTok. Even if they wanted to divest, they would need approval from Beijing, which has previously opposed a forced sale of the platform.

Challenges and Implications: Under the act, TikTok would be forced to shut down by January 19, 2025 if no sale occurs. The fight over TikTok occurs amidst intense strategic rivalry between the U.S. and China, especially in areas like advanced technologies and data security. Concerns have been raised that Chinese authorities could access U.S. user data or manipulate TikTok’s algorithm to sway public opinion.

Opponents argue that other methods, such as commercial data brokers, could also provide information on Americans.