WeChat users in US sue Donald Trump over order banning Chinese messaging app
- Plaintiffs claim restriction violates their freedom of speech, free exercise of religion and other constitutional rights
- Chinese owners of TikTok, which is also facing a ban, say they plan to mount a legal challenge against president’s executive order
The complaint, filed on Friday in San Francisco, is being brought by the non-profit organisation US WeChat Users Alliance and others who say they rely on the app for work, worship and staying in touch with relatives in China. The plaintiffs say they are not affiliated with WeChat or its parent company, Tencent Holdings.
In the lawsuit, they asked a federal court judge to stop Trump’s executive order from being enforced, claiming it would violate its US users’ freedom of speech, free exercise of religion and other constitutional rights.
“We think there’s a first amendment interest in providing continued access to that app and its functionality to the Chinese-American community,” Michael Bien, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, said on Saturday.
The twin executive orders – one for each app – are expected to take effect on September 20, 45 days after they were issued. The orders call on US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who is also named as a defendant in the US WeChat Users Alliance lawsuit, to define the banned dealings by that time.