TikTok sues US over law that would force its sale
ByteDance claims that the strategy to ban the platform in the U.S. market violates the First Amendment.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, filed a lawsuit against a federal law pushing for the sale of the platform that would separate it from Chinese investors and the Chinese Communist Party.
This Tuesday, the company filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, citing an alleged violation of the First Amendment. It seems to be the last resort for the company, which aims to prevent the government from banning its activity in the United States if it does not comply with the imposed conditions.
TikTok has been in the U.S. government's sights since the Trump administration, which first proposed the sale or ban rule. ByteDance has attempted to negotiate with the government and promised increased security guarantees for North American users' data. However, their offers were not satisfactory for the government and lawmakers, who moved forward with the legislation against the app.
The law gives ByteDance a period of 270 days to sell TikTok to a new company to operate it in the United States. Otherwise, the app will be banned from American networks and online app stores. Joe Biden can give ByteDance 90 more days to sell TikTok if he deems it necessary.
The law allows the White House to carry out a similar operation with any other application. However, at the moment, TikTok is the only one that is exposed to this type of regulatory threat.
TikTok, claims that the U.S. authorities' strategy is completely illegal and represents a greater affront to business freedom.