TikTok Ready for Legal Fight if U.S. App Ban Happens

A TikTok memo to employees says the company is ready for a legal war if a passed U.S. bill forces the app to be banned or sold off.

“This is an unprecedented deal worked out between the Republican Speaker and President Biden,” wrote Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, according to Bloomberg.

“At the stage that the bill is signed, we will move to the courts for a legal challenge,” added Beckerman.

TikTok says the divest-or-ban law is a “a clear violation” of the First Amendment rights of TikTok’s 170 million American users and would have “devastating consequences” for the 7 million small businesses on the short-video platform. “We’ll continue to fight,” said the company.

The final decision on whether a U.S. ban or sale of TikTok is expected this week as it’s in the hands of the Senate. President Joe Biden has agreed to sign the bill if it passes, immediately.

TikTok offers viral videos and is owned by China’s ByteDance. The company apparently said it is ready to exhaust all legal measures first, before considering a forced sale. Fears are that the app poses a national security risk, due to its parent owner based in China.

Back in 2023, numerous cities in Ontario banned TikTok from employee devices. The feds have already banned TikTok from employee devices, following the U.S. and EU. Other provinces also followed suit banning TikTok from worker devices as well.