Alleging First Amendment free speech violations, TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block a new law that would force the sale or a nationwide ban of the popular short-form video app.
The law “will force a shutdown of TikTok by January 19, 2025, silencing the 170 million Americans who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere," the petition said.
The TikTok lawsuit, which challenges the law on constitutional grounds, also cites commercial, technical and legal hurdles as well as opposition from Beijing.
Divestiture is “simply not possible,” especially within 270 days, the petition claims. According to the petition, the Chinese government "has made clear that it would not permit a divestment of the recommendation engine that is a key to the success of TikTok in the United States."