This archive report was first published on 23 August 2020.
On August 23, 2020, TikTok confirmed it would challenge President Donald Trump's executive order prohibiting transactions with the popular short video app and its Chinese parent ByteDance. The company had tried to engage with the U.S administration for nearly a year, but faced 'a lack of due process' and that the government paid no attention to the facts.
According to a statement from TikTok, 'To ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and users are treated fairly, we have no choice but to challenge the executive order through the judicial system.'
TikTok's owner ByteDance issued a separate statement on Sunday saying it will officially file a lawsuit against Trump administration on Monday, August 24. Trump issued an executive order on August 14 that gave ByteDance 90 days to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok. ByteDance has been making progress in talks with potential acquirers, including Microsoft Corp and Oracle.
Some of ByteDance's U.S. investors could also join the winning bid. While TikTok is best known for its anodyne videos of people dancing and going viral among teenagers, U.S. officials have expressed concerns that information on users could be passed on to China's government.
