This week, TikTok and its parent company ByteDance filed a lawsuit challenging a recent law passed by Congress. The law mandates that TikTok must be sold to a company based in a non-adversarial country. If this does not occur, TikTok could face a ban in the United States.
The lawsuit argues against the legislation, citing concerns about the basis of the law and its impact on TikTok’s operations. Lawyers for TikTok claim that the law is founded on speculative concerns rather than concrete evidence. They assert there is no verified information that TikTok compromises American data security by sharing information with the Chinese government or disseminating pro-China propaganda. However, in the same lawsuit, the company admits they are a valuable asset to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is forbidding the sale of the app.
A significant point raised in TikTok’s legal challenge is the continued use of the platform by notable U.S. figures, including President Joe Biden, whose campaign maintains an active TikTok account. TikTok is using the fact that Biden’s team has an active account to show there is no national security threat. The lawsuit notes that even after signing the law, President Biden’s campaign continued to engage with the platform. Additionally, several Congressional supporters of the law also maintain active accounts on TikTok, which, according to the lawsuit, undermines the arguments that the platform is a real threat to American users.
From TikTok’s legal petition: “President Biden’s decision to continue to maintain a TikTok account…undermines the claim that the platform poses an actual threat to Americans.”
Biden is putting politics ahead of national security. He should delete his TikTok account immediately. pic.twitter.com/v6UXdqy7Bp
— Michael Sobolik (@michaelsobolik) May 8, 2024
The crux of TikTok’s legal argument focuses on the perceived inconsistencies between the actions of U.S. lawmakers and the stipulations of the new law.
TikTok’s biggest hurtle is the CCP’s unwillingness to allow the sale of TikTok, particularly the technology behind its highly effective algorithm known for enhancing user engagement. This resistance from the CCP gives incite that they’ve been controlling things the entire time.
TikTok says the Chinese Communist Party won’t allow it to be sold.
Clear proof Beijing has always controlled TikTok. https://t.co/PWWoEFua8F
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) May 8, 2024
