ByteDance Says US Ban Chokes Free Speech: TikTok Sues US Federals

ByteDance is the parent company of TikTok. The compnay is not giving up anytime soon. TikTok took matters into their own hands, filing a lawsuit to stop the United States’ lmpending ban on popular video-sharing apps.

TikTok filed the lawsuit on May 7 in the US court, and its parent company ByteDance says US ban chokes free speech. They debated that the American ban violates the First Amendment, which protects free speech.

In April 2024, President Joe Biden passed the law that pressured TikTok to face a ban or be sold to the US.

ByteDance Says US Ban Chokes Free Speech

TikTok has launched a lawsuit against the United States government. It was filed in response to a potential “unconstitutional” ban on the social media platform. It was supported by ByteDance as well.

According to the case, users’ First Amendment rights are violated by the law approved by President Joe Biden, which would force the firm to sell the platform to a non-Chinese entity or risk being banned in the U.S.

ByteDance’s founder, Zhang Yiming, strongly objects selling TikTok to Americans. ByteDance says US ban chokes free speech and refuses the claims that there isn’t any concrete evidence of foreign propaganda or security threats.

TikTok Is Suing The Federal Government

Biden signed the Protecting Americans from the Foreign Adversary Controlled Application Act. Congress passed it as part of a $95 billion foreign aid package on April 24, 2024.

Some congressional leaders and the president debated whether the ultimatum against TikTok was required due to security concerns about ByteDance and its relationship with the Chinese government. However, TikTok just recently settled the royalty disputes with Universal Music Group (UMG).

ByteDance Says US Ban Chokes Free Speech. Image Credit: Trusted Reviews.

However, the lawsuit alleged that the window to sell the company is impossible, whether commercially, technologically, or legally.

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TikTok Supporters Disapprove the Ban On The App

TikTok supporters, social media influencers, and business owners have criticized the app ban in the U.S.

They claim they would lose a significant business platform if the app were banned.

The majority of Americans are in favor of the ban; others are against it. Some Americans say that the U.S. government should try to force the sale of Tiktok, while others say it should not.