It’s a challenging time to be a social media app that prompts national security concerns. Earlier this month, the Trump administration issued an executive order that would effectively shut down TikTok in the US; a second executive order gave TikTok’s parent company 90 days to sell TikTok. That’s led to a number of rumors about who might purchase the company, including the news that Oracle was one of its suitors.
The latest development in the feud between the administration and TikTok seems likely to play out in a courtroom. Writing at The Verge, Kim Lyons has the news that TikTok plans to sue the Trump administration over the executive order. Their argument? That they were denied due process.
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TikTok spokesman Josh Gartner provided a statement to The Verge that described their action as one taken as a last resort. “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,” Gartner said.
Besides Oracle, Microsoft and Twitter are the other companies considered to be in the running to buy TikTok. The executive order also allows for the company to be spun off from ByteDance.
The lawsuit from TikTok isn’t the only one the Trump administration faces. A WeChat users group has also sued the administration, arguing that it adversely affects Chinese-Americans to stay in touch with loved ones. The story of the administration’s battles with Chinese tech companies is a complex one, and it seems far from over.
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