TikTok creators file suit to block US divest or ban law, call Chinese app ‘part of American life’
- The platform and parent company ByteDance have filed a similar lawsuit, arguing the law violates the US Constitution and runs afoul of free speech protections
- The White House has said it wants to see Chinese-based ownership ended on national security grounds but not a ban on TikTok
A group of TikTok creators said on Tuesday that they have filed suit in federal court seeking to block a law signed by US President Joe Biden that would force the divestiture of the short video app used by 170 million Americans or ban it, saying it has had “a profound effect on American life”.
The TikTok users suing include a Texas Marine Corps veteran who sells his ranch products, a Tennessee woman selling biscuits and discussing parenting, a North Dakota college coach who makes sports commentary videos and a recent college graduate in North Carolina who advocates for the rights of sexual assault survivors.
“Although they come from different places, professions, walks of life, and political persuasions, they are united in their view that TikTok provides them a unique and irreplaceable means to express themselves and form community,” said the lawsuit.
Davis Wright Tremaine, a law firm representing the creators, provided a copy of the lawsuit it said had been filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The White House declined comment. A Justice Department spokesperson said the TikTok law “addresses critical national security concerns in a manner that is consistent with the First Amendment and other constitutional limitations. We look forward to defending the legislation in court.”
The suit, which seeks injunctive relief, says the law threatens free speech and “promises to shutter a discrete medium of communication that has become part of American life”.