TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has vowed to fight a recently signed US law that effectively bans the social media company. Chew said that the law is unconstitutional, and that the company will challenge it in court.
The ban is the latest in a series of escalating tech conflicts between Washington and Beijing. Last week, Apple said that China had ordered it to remove Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China over Chinese national security concerns. In late 2022, Biden signed legislation that barred US government employees from using TikTok on government phones.
Chew said in a video message posted on Tiktok that the company expects to win a legal challenge to block legislation signed into law by President Biden. Biden signed the bill that gives Tiktok’s Chinese parent ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok’s US assets or face a ban. The law sets January 19 as the deadline for sale, but the government can extend the deadline by three months if it determines ByteDance is making progress.
Reacting strongly to the bill, Chew said in a video message posted on Tiktok, “Make no mistake, this is a ban. A ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice,” Chew said in a video message posted on TikTok. He emphasized that TikTok would continue to operate as the company challenges the restrictions.
“Tiktok ban law is unconstitutional”
In a post on its official account, Tiktok termed the ban as “unconstitutional”. “This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court. We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation. This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans. As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired,” read the Tiktok message.
TikTok is set to challenge the bill on First Amendment grounds and TikTok users are also expected to again take legal action
In a statement to media, Alex Haurek, a TikTok spokesperson, said the bill “was crafted in secret, rushed through the House and ultimately passed as part of a larger, must-pass bill exactly because it is a ban that Americans will find objectionable.” He added it was “sadly ironic that Congress would pass a law trampling 170 million Americans’ right to free expression as part of a package they say is aimed at advancing freedom around the world.”
