KUALA LUMPUR – TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is ready for a showdown over free speech with the United States government as the China firm has filed a suit to block the law compelling it to either divest or be banned.
In the suit, ByteDance criticised the US law, calling it an “extraordinary and unconstitutional assertion of power”.
Aside from again denying sharing US user data, ByteDance claimed the law unfairly singles out TikTok as well as circumventing free speech protections.
It added that the government’s “speculative concerns fall far short of what is required when First Amendment rights are at stake”.
“The law’s national security premise was undermined by the continued use of TikTok by President Biden and members of Congress.”
The suit will put the burden on Washington to prove that the new law does not trample on free speech, among other things.
Critics have pointed out that other social media platforms, such as Facebook, similarly collect user data but have not been accused by the government of posing a threat to national security.
Last November, a federal judge blocked Montana’s efforts to ban TikTok from the state.
Montana, backed by Virginia and 18 states, is appealing the decision. – May 8, 2024