TikTok Sues US Government Over Potential Ban

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Facts

  • Social media app TikTok on Tuesday sued the US government over a law Pres. Joe Biden signed last month to force parent company ByteDance to sell the app to a non-Chinese entity or face a ban.1
  • ByteDance, which under the new law faces a Jan. 19, 2025 deadline to divest, argues that TikTok is protected by the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of expression and that Congress has taken the 'unprecedented' step of singling out one social media platform for a ban.2
  • The suit also cites commercial, technical, and legal hurdles that make it 'simply not possible' for ByteDance to divest. It also highlights the Chinese government's objection to selling the algorithm that's the 'key to the success' of TikTok's US success.3
  • Biden and a bipartisan group of legislators cited national security reasons for passing the law after years of concerns TikTok has shared US user data with the Chinese government. TikTok denies these accusations.4
  • TikTok wants a court to strike down the law and issue an order preventing the attorney general from enforcing it.5

Sources: 1New York Times, 2Associated Press, 3USA Today, 4BBC News and 5Verge.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Wired. This is a clear First Amendment violation. Without providing any evidence that TikTok is a national security threat, the government is attempting to restrict Americans' access to ideas, information, and media. This law must be overturned.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Verge. The courts should continue being deferential to Congress when it comes to national security legislation. The public doesn't have the right to see all the classified evidence legislators are privy to, but considering a bipartisan group of lawmakers agrees on this matter, there must be a threat from TikTok.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Chinadaily.com.cn. In a presidential election year, politicians from both sides of the US political aisle think they can score points by bashing China. Yet Biden and others continue to use TikTok. Politics is the only reasonable explanation for this law, and it should be overturned on its merits and because of the hypocrisy of US lawmakers.

Predictions