TikTok Sues US Government In Challenge Of Proposed Ban

TikTok on Monday filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government over the Trump administration's proposed ban on the app.

The video-sharing service, which is owned by Chinese parent ByteDance, argued that the ban would deny it the constitutional right to due process and that President Donald Trump’s executive order on the matter ignores the evidence it has put forward that it does not share data with the Chinese government.

“Now is the time for us to act,” TikTok said in an official statement. “We do not take suing the government lightly, however we feel we have no choice but to take action to protect our rights, and the rights of our community and employees.”

TikTok, which became available in the U.S. in August 2018, has long generated controversy in the West due to its Chinese ownership. Despite the company’s frequent assertions to the contrary, many fear that the app shares user data with the Chinese government, posing a risk to personal privacy and national security.

The company claims have countered these accusations with “voluminous documentation” proving that it does not share data with Beijing.

TikTok has argued that Trump’s move to ban the app in the U.S. is merely another part of the administration’s trade war with China, citing similar spats with Huawei and WeChat.

“To be clear, we far prefer constructive dialogue over litigation,” the statement said. “But with the Executive Order threatening to bring a ban on our U.S. operations – eliminating the creation of 10,000 American jobs and irreparably harming the millions of Americans who turn to this app for entertainment, connection, and legitimate livelihoods that are vital especially during the pandemic – we simply have no choice.”