Earlier this month, it was reported that TikTok was planning to take the Trump administration to court over the executive order that will see the app banned in the United States. On Saturday, TikTok and its parent company ByteDance formerly announced its plans to sue the Trump administration.
"Even though we strongly disagree with the [Trump] administration’s concerns, for nearly a year we have sought to engage in good faith to provide a constructive solution," the company said in a statement. "What we encountered instead was a lack of due process as the administration paid no attention to facts and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses. To ensure that the rule of law prevails and that our company and users are treated fairly, we have no choice but to challenge the executive order through the judicial system."
The executive order was signed earlier this month, and will prohibit any U.S. business from dealing with TikTok by Sept. 20. Trump took action after he suggested the app "continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," indicating that Chinese authorities could pressure to TikTok to share user data.
The app currently has 100 million U.S. users. A separate executive order was issues later in the month, giving a 90-day deadline to TikTok's parent company ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. assets. Both Microsoft and Twitter have expressed interest in buying the platform, and TikTok's plans to go to court indicate it won't go down without a fight just yet. The New York Times reports that this could just be a delay tactic for the company, allowing more time for a decision to be made about whom to sell to.
