ByteDance sues US government over TikTok ban: Is it constitutional to silence global online community?

TikTok, the social media platform owned by ByteDance, has filed a lawsuit against the United States in response to the country’s decision to ban the app. The Chinese-based company claims that the ban is unconstitutional and argues that it is not possible to sell the platform without violating its own rights.

In its legal filing, TikTok argues that Congress has enacted a law for the first time in history that would permanently ban a single named speech platform and prohibit all Americans from participating in a global online community with millions of users worldwide. This lawsuit comes after President Joe Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to American companies to avoid the ban.

The ban on TikTok is due to concerns about data collection practices and potential misuse of information for the benefit of the Chinese government. However, TikTok has denied these accusations multiple times, stating that there are no specific evidence to support them.

ByteDance explained in its lawsuit that selling TikTok to American companies is not feasible because it would require transferring millions of lines of code to the new owner, and Chinese government would not allow such sale with original algorithm created by parent company. The company argued that this would create two separate experiences for users worldwide, effectively isolating US users from rest of world.

TikTok is seeking a court ruling that Biden administration violated US Constitution with ban on platform. This legal battle highlights ongoing tensions between Chinese-owned companies and US government over national security concerns related to technology and data sharing.