ByteDance Sues US Government to Stop TikTok Ban: Will Congress Relent on ‘Logistically Impossible’ Demand?

The parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, filed a lawsuit against the United States last Tuesday in response to the country’s move to ban the platform. In their suit, ByteDance argued that such a ban is unconstitutional and would force an immediate closure of the platform before January 19, 2025. They pointed out that Congress has never enacted a law that subjects a single platform to a permanent nationwide ban, preventing Americans from participating in an online community with millions of users worldwide.

President Joe Biden is expected to sign a law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to American companies to avoid the ban. However, ByteDance has refused to sell TikTok on grounds that it would be logistically impossible to move millions of lines of code to a new owner within a short timeframe. Additionally, the Chinese government would not allow such a sale, as they have ownership over the algorithm created by ByteDance.

TikTok has argued in its lawsuit that banning the platform would create a separate user experience from the rest of the world and effectively isolate US users from international communication and entertainment. They also claimed that there is no specific evidence supporting security concerns raised by Congress and denied claims about potential data sharing with China.

The court has yet to rule on TikTok’s lawsuit challenging Biden’s actions. As it stands, TikTok remains available for users in most countries around the world but faces uncertainty in its future in the US market.