DOJ Defends TikTok Sale or Ban by January 19 Under Biden Law

Jul 27, 2024, 05:55 PM

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a response to TikTok's lawsuit, defending a law that could force the sale or ban of the app due to national security concerns. The DOJ alleges that TikTok, under the direction of its China-based parent company ByteDance, has collected sensitive user data on topics such as gun control, abortion, and religion, and has censored content at Beijing's behest. The DOJ argues that these actions pose a significant national security threat, as the data could be used for covert content manipulation by the Chinese government. TikTok has countered, asserting that the ban would violate the First Amendment and that the government has not provided sufficient evidence to support its claims. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, mandates that ByteDance divest TikTok's U.S. assets by January 19 or face a ban. The DOJ's filing includes statements from intelligence officials, including Casey Blackburn, confirming that TikTok has complied with Chinese censorship demands. Sensitive data about U.S. users has been stored in China and accessed via the Lark platform. TikTok continues to fight the ban using legal and lobbying efforts, emphasizing that the Constitution protects its operations in the U.S. The ban would affect 170 million Americans.