TikTok Sues The U.S. Government Over Recently Passed Ban

BYLavender AlexandriaPublished on May 07, 2024635 Views

Chinese Ownership Of TikTok Under Scrutiny Of U.S. Lawmakers, As Congress To Vote On Bill To Force Sale Of The Social Media App

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 13: In this photo illustration, the TikTok app is seen on a phone on March 13, 2024 in New York City. Congress is set to vote and pass a bill that could ban the popular app TikTok nationwide and be sent to the Senate for a vote. The bill would force the Chinese firm ByteDance to divest from TikTok and other applications that it owns within six months after passage of the bill or face a ban. Lawmakers argue that ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government making the app a national security threat. (Photo Illustration by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The app is claiming a violation of free speech.

One of the biggest stories in the tech sector across the past month has been a potential ban of the social media app TikTok. For months American politicians have made the app an enemy claiming its Chinese parent company could be harvesting data from American users. Many have also speculated there could be additional alternative motives like preventing people from getting minute-by-minute updates of the conflict in Gaza. A bill to move towards a potential ban of the app made its way through congress and was signed into law by the president last month.

While the move sounded splashy it was always going to be an extended battle between the massively popular app and the American government. Now TikTok has made its first big move since the ban passed, suing the government in the D.C. circuit. They're arguing the ban, or attempt to force their parent company to sell the app to someone else, constitutes a violation of free speech. “For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban,” the lawsuit reads. The government is likely to counter with an argument built around proving that the app's Chinese owners make it a threat to national security.

TikTok Files New Lawsuit Following Ban

The lawsuit follows a pretty big victory for the social media platform earlier this month. Last week they finally struck a deal with Universal Music Group to return music from the labels artists to the platform. User had found old videos muted and many of the biggest artists in all of music unavailable for use in TikTok videos. The two parties finally found a negotiable solution, though they didn't reveal the details of the deal they ultimately signed.

What do you think of TikTok suing the US government over the recently passed ban of the app? Who do you think will ultimately come out on top in the fight over whether or not the app will be banned? Let us know in the comment section below.

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About The Author

Lavender Alexandria

Lavender Alexandria is a music and culture journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She’s covered dozens of musical genres and styles from the most mainstream to the most experimental and underground on her blog and accompanying YouTube channel that looks at music, pop culture, and Billboard charts since 2017: Lav’s Music Corner. Lavender has produced editorial and listicle content both in written and video form over the past far years and has also interviewed up-and-coming artists like Censored Dialogue. Her experiences covering culture have taken her from Hyperpop parties in LA to underground rap shows in Atlanta, to DIY punk shows in Charlotte. Lavender has also written for iHeartRadio, covering some of the biggest artists in Hip Hop such as Ice Spice, Drake, Doja Cat and Cardi B. She also has bylines with ScreenRant and continues to write for Ringtone magazine. Lavender is a lifelong Charlotte Hornets fan and her favorite rap artists include Clipping, Little Simz, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick Lamar.