Published 15:08 IST, August 9th 2020
TikTok to sue Trump over 'unconstitutional' executive order next week: Sources
TikTok has challenged Trump's executive order calling it 'unconstitutional' on the account that it did not provide ByteDance Ltd. a chance to respond.
- Tech
- 2 min read
As tensions mount in the United States regarding the possible ban on TikTok, sources have reported that China's video-sharing app is ready to file a suit against US President Trump, challenging his executive order against the company.
According to sources, TikTok has challenged Trump's executive order calling it 'unconstitutional' on the account that it did not provide its parent company ByteDance Ltd. a chance to respond to the notice. Sources have also reported that the suit is likely to be filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of California in the first half of the coming week.
TikTok calls Trump's move 'a dangerous precedent'
Earlier TikTok had issued a notice saying that it was 'shocked' by the executive order issued by the US President Donald Trump accusing the Trump government of interfering in talks between two private businesses.
"The text of the decision makes it plain that there has been a reliance on unnamed "reports" with no citations, fears that the app 'maybe' used for misinformation campaigns with no substantiation of such fears, and concerns about the collection of data that is industry standard for thousands of mobile apps around the world," said TikTok in its statement.
"The order sets a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets. We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly – if not by the Administration, then by the US courts," said TikTok in its statement.
Trump signs executive order against TikTok
US President Donald Trump on August 6 signed an executive order banning American citizens and businesses from doing any transaction with Chinese-owned application TikTok, its parent company ByteDance Ltd. and messaging app WeChat after 45 days. Trump had earlier last week announced that TikTok will go out of business by September in his country if not sold to an American company.
Trump in his executive order stated that these steps have been taken because the applications mentioned above threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. Trump has accused the Chinese-owned apps of storing personal data of American citizens and possibly sharing it with Beijing.
Updated 15:11 IST, August 9th 2020