DOJ tells court that TikTok’s potential US ban is essential for national security protection

The Justice Department is pushing back against TikTok’s lawsuit over a potential US ban, saying that the law in question is about national security concerns, not restricting free speech. TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, filed a lawsuit in response to a law that would require ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US assets or face being banned in the country starting in 2025. The government argues that TikTok’s ownership structure could allow China to access sensitive personal information and manipulate the content Americans see on the app. TikTok has claimed that the law violates the First Amendment by targeting its platform. According to TikTok, the law will impact 170 million US users and more than 1 billion worldwide. The Justice Department contends that TikTok collects significant data from its users, including their locations, viewing habits, and private messages, raising concerns about the Chinese government potentially gaining access to this data. The Department also suggests that China could control TikTok’s algorithm to manipulate the content users see for its own purposes. Both TikTok and the government have requested an expedited review of the case by the courts, with oral arguments set to be heard in September.

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