Elyssa Lopez · · 2 min readUS TikTok creators file lawsuit to block the app’s potential ban
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US-based TikTok creators have filed a suit in the US Court of Appeals to appeal the short-video app’s potential ban in the country, Reuters reported. The creators argue the law risks limiting free expression and “promises to shutter a discrete medium of communication that has become part of American life.”
While this comes on the heels of TikTok and ByteDance’s own lawsuit, TikTok creators have found success with their legal efforts in the past. In 2020, another group of creators filed a lawsuit against then-President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban TikTok, which the court eventually blocked.
In 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that TikTok had footed these creators’ legal fees. It is unclear whether the same case applies this time.
TikTok’s legal battle in the US adds to the string of moves both the US and Chinese governments have made to protect the data and business of their respective tech companies.
President Joe Biden’s administration argued that it is not seeking a ban on the app, but instead a ban on its Chinese ownership. But ByteDance has countered that selling the app is not possible, practically or legally, partly because of its algorithms.
A previous report noted that instead of selling its stake in the US business, ByteDance may choose to leave the country altogether.
See also: The US-China tech rift’s surprising beneficiary: Southeast Asia
Editing by Putra Muskita and Dhania Putri Sarahtika
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