TikTok Files For Injunction Against Pending App Store Ban
Written by Rev Noni on September 24, 2020
Video sharing social networking site, TikTok has asked for an injunction against its pending app store ban, citing a lack of evidence and just cause in the Trump executive order. TikTok was in the process of partnering with Oracle and Walmart in order to satisfy Donald Trump’s desire to have the social media app owned by a US company.
The actual details of the merger were still being worked out before the deal became complicated due to disagreement over whether a U.S. company would take majority control the social media app. With the app’s deadline this Sunday, if a deal is not agreed, TikTok will be removed from US app stores.
“The Executive Order issued by the Administration on August 6th, 2020 has the potential to strip the rights of [our] community without any evidence to justify such an extreme action, and without any due process. We strongly disagree with the Administration’s position that TikTok is a national security threat and we have articulated these objections previously,” TikTok said in a comment.
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, which, as a Chinese company, is obliged to China’s strict cybersecurity laws, which require businesses to share their user data on request. Speculation also exists around TikTok’s algorithms and its potential to amplify pro-China messaging.
If there appeal is successful, that could mean that TikTok will be able to avoid an app store ban even if a takeover deal is not reached.
