ALBAWABA - In federal court, the US government is defending its order to ByteDance, the parent firm of TikTok, to sell the well-known app to non-Chinese investors. This is in accordance with a new law passed by Congress in April 2024, which mandates that the transaction be finished within nine months or risk being prohibited in the US.
TikTok claims that the First Amendment, which protects the right to free expression, is violated by the statute. The Department of Justice, however, insists that rather than limiting free speech, the statute addresses issues related to national security. According to the authorities, ByteDance poses a serious security risk because of its commitments to the Chinese government over user data and the possibility of content control.
The Department's legal brief highlights concerns that China may be able to utilize TikTok's large US user base to leverage the app for content restriction and data gathering. Authorities worry that TikTok's algorithm may be manipulated by the Chinese government to change the material that American consumers see.
As a result, TikTok has contested the law's validity, calling it unheard of and impracticable. The corporation argues that by limiting access to a worldwide digital community of over one billion people, this legislation might undermine free expression by targeting a single platform.
ByteDance has stated that it would not be selling TikTok and that it intends to appeal to the Supreme Court in order to prevent the ban that is set to take effect on January 19, 2025. With over 170 million Americans and over a billion users globally, TikTok has a large user base, making it difficult to acquire the platform given the lack of potential purchasers.
