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Previously, the Trump administration issued an executive order against the video-sharing platform TikTok and its parent company ByteDance which is scheduled to take effect by mid-September. However, TikTok is planning to challenge the ban imposed by Donald Trump.
Washington has raised concerns about TikTok and how it handles its users’ information. They cite that because ByteDance is based in China, the people behind the app may be passing on information to the Beijing government, a claim that the company has denied.
TikTok has over 80 million American users on its platform, and the company has been trying to engage and speak with the administration but have been unsuccessful. Thus, the company is now forced to challenge the executive order against them through a lawsuit.
“To ensure 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,” said a spokesperson for ByteDance. TikTok is expected to take legal action this week.
Last week, a group of Chinese-Americans also challenged a similar ban placed on social media app WeChat, which is owned by Chinese company Tencent. These are the latest moves Trump has made against his trade war with China prior to the November elections. Tensions between the two countries have soured since the beginning of the year due to COVID-19. However, the US is not the only country that has placed a ban on TikTok. India has also banned its use, and Australia is considering taking the same action.
This week is also the Republican Convention, and as Trump has accepted the party’s nomination, public endorsements by prominent Republicans towards Trump’s Democratic opponent Joe Biden were being made. Along with these endorsements come ads featuring Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen. In the ads that are running this week, Cohen recounts his own firsthand experience while at the same time blasting Trump.
Cohen warns Republicans and those who will be tuning into the convention, that Trump will lie. “He can’t be trusted and you shouldn’t believe a word he utters. So when you watch the President, this week, remember this: If he says something huge, it’s probably small. If he says something will work, it probably won’t. And if he says he cares about your and your family, he certainly does not.”
