TikTok Confirms Plans To Sue President Trump's Administration Over Ban

TikTok confirmed Saturday that it plans to sue the Trump administration over an executive order that would effectively ban the app in the U.S., adding that it expects the legal action to happen

this week.

"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," TikTok said in an emailed statement to CNET.

Citing fears over national security, President Donald Trump issued an executive order August 6 saying transactions with TikTok parent company ByteDance — a Chinese firm — or its subsidiaries would be prohibited. The order was set to kick in 45 days after it was issued, unless TikTok found a U.S. buyer for its operations in the states. Mr. Trump later doubled that time frame, in an August 14 follow-up order.

Mr. Trump and others say they're concerned because the hugely popular video app collects data on its users and could, these critics say, be forced by China's communist government to hand over that information. TikTok has repeatedly said the fears are ungrounded.

If the ban against transactions were to go into effect, it would likely mean that Apple and Google would no longer be able to list the app in their respective app stores, similar to the prohibition against U.S. companies dealing with Huawei.

A TikTok sale could happen though. Microsoft acknowledged early this month that it's pursuing a deal for TikTok's operations in the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Other companies, including Apple, Twitter and Oracle, are also reportedly interested, though it's unclear how seriously they might pursue an agreement.

"Even though we strongly disagree with the Administration's concerns, for nearly a year we have sought to engage in good faith to provide a constructive solution," TikTok said in its statement Saturday. "What we encountered instead was a lack of due process as the Administration paid no attention to facts and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses."

The White House didn't respond to a request for comment from CNET for this story.

First published on August 24, 2020 / 10:38 AM

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