The TikTok video app plans to sue the Trump Administration over its executive orders regarding the app’s business ownership which TikTok claims has limited its due process.
Trump Administration’s Position
President Trump has alleged that because of its Chinese ownership by ByteDance, TikTok poses a national security and data privacy threat.
Since July, members of the administration including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have hinted at an American ban of the TikTok app.
Trump took it one step further by signing 2 executive orders in early August.
1. August 6 Executive Order
President Trump signed the executive order under the authority of International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act.
This order blocked all transactions with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance.
The executive order was set to take effect on September 20.
2. August 14 Executive Order
The second executive order gave ByteDance 45 days to sell or spin off TikTok in the US.
It extended the September 20 deadline of the previous executive order to November 12, but it imposed new restrictions.
These include:
- Destroying US users TikTok data
- Reviewing Music.ly’s (purchased by ByteDance to create TikTok) data and destroying US user information on it.
Microsoft, Oracle, and Twitter reportedly were in talks to buy the US interests of TikTok.
It should be noted that TikTok is not the only Chinese-owned app subjected to Trump’s executive orders.
He also included WeChat, the calling app that connects people around the world.
It is unclear how TikTok would actually be banned if these executive orders are enforced.
Trump’s concern about TikTok reportedly began after a November 2019 meeting with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.
He’s saying China is spying on us with tiktok I call BS. He had a meeting with the owner of Facebook and IG in October like why meet. Mark zukerburg hates that twitter and tiktok are more popular and Trump hates that those two apps make him look bad pic.twitter.com/GhOECr17Md
— Evelyn (@evestyle82) August 1, 2020
TikTok’s Position
The app is soaring in popularity.
In April, it recorded the 2 billionth worldwide download.
It has recorded an estimated 175 million US downloads.
TikTok is not only for tweens and teens; companies are beginning to use it as part of their social media strategy for target consumers between the ages of 13 and 40.
The company’s spokesman, Josh Gartner, shared the following statement with Verge:
“Even though we strongly disagree with the administration’s concerns, for nearly a year we have sought to engage in good faith to provide a constructive solution.. What we encountered instead was a lack of due process as the administration paid no attention to facts and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses. To ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and users are treated fairly, we have no choice but to challenge the Executive Order through the judicial system.”
Fallout
No one knows what the outcome will be.
The President’s actions and deadlines are falling very close to a potentially heated election in November.
Trump is a self-proclaimed tech guru and has amassed a Twitter following of 85.5 million people.
His campaign has also set up his profile on Triller which is a smaller competitor to TikTok with American ownership.
A lawsuit will require both sides to provide evidence over their positions which is a definite plus.
The drawback is that the lawsuit could drag on for months or even longer.
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