TikTok Files a Lawsuit Against the Trump Administration over its Ban

Published by Ushna Arif Tuesday, August 25, 2020

TikTok has finally sued the Trump Administration for banning the app in the U.S. and not allowing transactions with ByteDance, TikTok's parent company.

In a press release, TikTok wrote that the administration ignored its ''extensive efforts'' to address the company's concerns. TikTok further stated that it had no choice but to take action against the government for its own rights, as well as the rights of the TikTok community and employees.

In the lawsuit against the Trump Administration, it is alleged that the executive order signed by the President violates due process protections, exceeds the scope of sanction rules, and most importantly, provides no proof for its claims that TikTok is a national security threat. The lawsuit further argues that the President ignored TikTok's cooperation with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., that reviews mergers like ByteDance’s acquisition of Musical.ly, later rebranded as TikTok in the country.

TikTok also stated that “independent national security and information security experts have criticized the political nature of this executive order, and expressed doubt as to whether its stated national security objective is genuine.”. The company further supported its statements with the fact that TikTok's app code is an ''expressive means of communication'' covered by the First Amendment.

Earlier on the weekend, TikTok had confirmed that it would file a lawsuit against the Trump Administration. The executive order signed by the President against TikTok and ByteDance also came alongside a ban on another Chinese-owned app, WeChat. Users of WeChat have also sued the Trump Administration over the order.