The popular video app sued the U.S. on Monday, accusing the Trump administration of depriving it of due process when the president issued an executive order banning the parent company ByteDance from doing transactions in the country.
In a blog post, the company argued that the administration neither provided “evidence that TikTok was an actual threat, nor justification for its punitive actions.”
President Trump has said the Chinese-owned company posed a threat because of ties to Beijing. An executive order on Aug. 6 banned U.S. transactions with the app. A week later, another order gave ByteDance 90 days to divest from its American assets and data.
Perspective: In our latest DealBook newsletter, a U.C. Berkeley law professor argues that “TikTok’s lawsuit is a delaying tactic, at best” and is not likely to succeed in court. But putting off a fire sale could help it negotiate better sales terms.
Sale prospects: ByteDance is in talks with multiple American companies, including Microsoft and Oracle, for a sale of at least part of the business.
