The Justice Department argued in a court filing on Friday that TikTok should be required to sell its American operations to resolve national security concerns about its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. In the government’s first detailed response to TikTok’s lawsuit challenging a new U.S. law that could ban the social media app, the Justice Department said measures that TikTok previously offered to address the government’s security concerns were insufficient.
Security Concerns: The government claimed that the Chinese government could still collect sensitive data on Americans or manipulate content through TikTok, as the app has been influenced by Chinese directives. This situation poses a national-security threat due to China’s potential misuse of the app for larger geopolitical goals.
Legal Action: The Justice Department’s filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit outlined the potential consequences for TikTok under the new law signed by President Biden in April. If ByteDance fails to sell TikTok’s American operations to a non-Chinese owner by mid-January, app stores and web hosting services will be required to cease working with TikTok.
TikTok’s Response: TikTok, with 170 million U.S. users, has sued to block the law, stating that a sale isn’t feasible and a ban would negatively impact small businesses. The company claims it has offered significant commitments to address security concerns, such as giving an American company oversight of its algorithm and storing all data domestically.
Future Outlook: The ongoing legal battle between TikTok and the U.S. government is expected to escalate and potentially reach the Supreme Court, highlighting the complexities of national security concerns in the digital age.
