Eight TikTok users sued the Biden administration on Tuesday (May 14), claiming that a bill approved by the US president requiring TikTok to be sold to new owners or be banned in the US violates their First Amendment rights. This is the second lawsuit filed against the United States government regarding the prospective ban.
Concerns over TikTok’s origins and, as a result, data security have led to a potential ban, as its parent business is headquartered in Beijing. Similar concerns have prompted nations like India, the EU, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to ban TikTok.
Previously, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sued the US government, claiming that the law violated the First Amendment
According to the current lawsuit, the law is “unconstitutionally overbroad” and would put an end to a way of communicating that has become a “part of American life.” The TikTokers claimed that if the law is not overturned then it would result in “immediate and irreparable harm.”
The TikTok users suing the US government include a 43-year-old cattle rancher from Texas and a 29-year-old woman who owns a cookie business in Tennessee.
Previously, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sued the US government, claiming that the law violated the First Amendment. It also stated that a nine-month deadline for a potential sale is “simply not possible.”
According to the lawsuit, around 170 million TikTok users in the United States “create, publish, view, interact with, and share videos” on the platform.
“Although they come from different places, professions, walks of life, and political persuasions, (American TikTok users) are united in their view that TikTok provides them a unique and irreplaceable means to express themselves and form community,” the lawsuit reads.
On April 24, 2024, US President Joe Biden passed legislation requiring ByteDance to find a new owner for TikTok within 270 days or face a ban in the United States. The deadline may be extended by 90 days if the Biden administration sees “significant progress” toward a sale.
