TikTok will file lawsuit against US if it prohibits app
Date
4/24/2024 3:19:39 AM
(MENAFN) According to reports from Bloomberg, TikTok is preparing to mount a legal challenge against the United States government if it enacts legislation requiring the app's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its ownership or face a complete ban of the platform.
The potential legal battle comes after the United States House of Representatives passed a bill that links the threat of banning TikTok to an emergency aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The bill, which passed by a vote of 360 to 58, stipulates that ByteDance would have nine months to sell its business or risk being barred from United States app stores if approved by the Senate.
In a memo addressed to TikTok's United States staff, Michael Beckerman, the company's head of public policy for the Americas, described the legislation as an "unprecedented deal" brokered between Republican Speaker and President Biden. Beckerman indicated that once the bill is signed, TikTok intends to challenge it in court.
Beckerman previously argued that the divestment or ban requirements imposed on TikTok would infringe upon the First Amendment rights of its 170 million United States users. He also warned of "devastating consequences" for the nearly 7 million businesses that rely on the platform if such legislation is enacted.
Despite the bill's passage, Beckerman emphasized that TikTok views this as the beginning rather than the end of the process, pledging to continue fighting against the ban. China has also criticized efforts to ban TikTok in the United States, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman arguing that such actions would violate international trade rules.
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