Published 07:31 IST, August 24th 2020
TikTok's parent company ByteDance to file lawsuit against Trump's ban order
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has decided to take legal action against US President Donald Trump and his recent executive orders banning the app
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has decided to take legal action against US President Donald Trump and his recent executive orders that would ban the Chinese social media app from carrying out transactions in the country.
As per reports, the executive orders signed by Trump on August 6 will take effect from mid-September and will effectively prevent several Chinese apps such as the widely popular TikTok and the Chinese messaging app WeChat from operating under the US jurisdiction. Another order states that Chines social media apps could continue their operations if they were bought out by US companies, ByteDance is currently in discussions with companies like Microsoft and Oracle in a bid to handover its American operations.
'US admin disregarded facts'
US President Donald Trump has time and again criticised Chinese tech companies and claiming that apps like TikTok collude with the Beijing government to source out user data. Therefore, Trump has labelled these apps as a national security risk.
As per PTI reports, ByteDance said in a statement, "Over the past year, we have earnestly sought to communicate with the US government, and provided solutions regarding its concerns.... But the US administration disregarded facts, disobeyed necessary legal procedures, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses." Therefore, in order to protect its business interests, ByteDance informed that it has decided to take the legal route
Even though the company has filed a lawsuit against the shutdown, it is reportedly taking action in cases the worst comes to pass for the app. A shutdown plan would see the app’s employees remain on the payroll. TikTok has 1,500 employees in the US as well as millions of users as per ByteDance.
US WeChat users sue Donald Trump
US WeChat Users Alliance, as well as several other people who use the Chinese Messaging app, have decided to file a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump and his executive order that would restrict the functioning of the app in the country.
The individuals who have joined the suit have claimed that they are not affiliated with WeChat or its parent company Tencent Holdings and have decided to file the lawsuit since they rely on the Chinese messaging app for work, religious practices, and staying in touch with relatives and friends in China.
The lawsuit has been filed in San Francisco and asks the court to halt Trump’s executive order. The plaintiffs have claimed that the order violates their freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and other constitutional rights.
(Input Credit PTI)
Updated 07:31 IST, August 24th 2020