TikTok has announced its intention to challenge any ban or requirement for the app’s sale in the United States through legal means, following the passing of a bill by the House of Representatives that targets the popular video platform.
Uncertainty looms over the company’s future in the United States after lawmakers in Washington approved a bill that would mandate the sale of a stake in TikTok’s U.S. operations by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban.
The bill, part of a foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, was passed by the House with a vote of 360-58 on Saturday and will now be presented to the Senate for further consideration. President Joe Biden has expressed his support for the bill.
Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, informed employees via a memo after the vote that the bill is deemed unconstitutional, and TikTok intends to challenge it in court.
Beckerman stated in the memo, initially reported by a technology news website, that the bill infringes on the First Amendment, which safeguards free speech rights, and vowed to pursue legal action once the bill is signed into law.
Arguments on the basis of the First Amendment have previously worked in TikTok’s favor in the U.S. In a ruling last year, a district judge in Montana blocked a state ban on TikTok, citing violations of users’ free speech rights. The judge found that the ban exceeded the state’s authority and violated constitutional rights.
TikTok has faced scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and other Western officials, including those in the UK, over concerns that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government. While TikTok denies such requests from Beijing, critics fear ByteDance may be compelled to share data with Chinese security services under the country’s laws.
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TikTok is yet to provide a comment on the matter.
Source: www.theguardian.com
