The NPR reported on Saturday that TikTok was preparing to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
The NPR reported on Saturday that TikTok was preparing to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration. It follows President Trump’s executive order threatening to ban China’s own video sharing app if it does not find a U.S. buyer within the next 45 days.
- The executive order threatens, Byte Dance will be barred from making any transaction with an American company.
- As of Monday, TikTok has not yet filed a lawsuit against Trump administration.
- The TikTok ban often shadows the Wechat ban.
Trump signs TikTok executive order
Trump’s executive order is the culmination of several months of concern over TikTok. Social usage has become hugely popular among young people over the past year and is currently ranked # 1 on the App Store entertainment chart.
But fears that the Chinese government could access user data collected from the app have prompted the Trump administration to step in.
They are demanding that Beijing-based Byte Dance sell its US operations of the app to a US-based company.
Otherwise, the executive order threatens, Byte Dance will be barred from making any transaction with an American company, which will not operate dictator in the states.
About the case
Anonymous sources told the NPR that the Trump administration’s actions would be prosecuted as unconstitutional because they failed to provide an opportunity for TikTok to respond.
Under the executive order, any transaction between TikTok and an American company is illegal. But it also undermines TikTok’s ability to hire legal representation, accusing it of violating due process.
Furthermore, TikTok would argue that the grounds for deportation — the use of US user data sharing with the Chinese government — are completely unsubstantiated. “It is based on pure speculation and conjecture,” the source said. “There is really no discovery in this order, reiterating the rhetoric about China.”
However, the White House said the Chinese government has a very tight understanding of the industry and is already getting US user data.
According to White House spokeswoman Judde Deere, “Management is committed to protecting the American people from all threats to the Internet, including critical infrastructure, public health and security, and our economic and national security.”
Still, as of Monday, TikTok has not yet filed a lawsuit against Trump administration. But sources believe a lawsuit may be filed early Tuesday.
Why is TikTok banned in the United States?
TikTok brought the attention of the Trump Administration and other parts of government to gather information about Americans, which might be turned over to the Chinese government, on account of their concerns.
The US Army and the Navy have prohibited the downloading of the app into public phones.
