TikTok has announced that it will be taking legal action against US President Donald Trump and his administration in an attempt to challenge its imminent ban. The Chinese-owned app has been told by the administration to sell off US operations within 90 days, or else.
The Verge reports that motivation for the ban stems from the fact that “lawmakers allege that TikTok could be pressured into handing over data or other intelligence to the Chinese Communist Party”.
According to the BBC, “TikTok says it has tried to engage with Trump’s administration for nearly a year but has encountered a lack of due process and an administration that pays ‘no attention to facts’”.
TikTok is “led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the US. We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked,” says a company spokesperson.
/* custom css */
.tdi_3_415.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_415.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }
“To ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and users are treated fairly, we have no choice but to challenge the executive order through the judicial system.”
Fighting in favour of the popular video-sharing platform, Lawyer Michael Bien says that “having [tikTok] suddenly cut off would be disastrous and frightening for people, especially in the pandemic” and that the executive order is “unconstitutional because it violates users’ rights to free speech”.
Edited by Jenna Cook
Follow Jenna Cook on Twitter
Follow IT News Africa on Twitter
