TikTok, the popular social media app, and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, filed a lawsuit in a federal court on Tuesday to block a law signed by President Joe Biden, which compels the company to sell the app used by 170 million Americans or face a ban.
The companies filed the lawsuit in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, stating that the law violates the US Constitution, including the violation of freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment.
The law, signed by Biden on April 24, gives ByteDance until January 19 next year to sell TikTok or face a ban.
"For the first time in history, Congress is enacting legislation that subjects a single speech platform to an indefinite ban in the country," the companies stated.
The White House indicated that it aims to end ByteDance's ownership of TikTok for national security concerns, not to ban the app.
The White House declined to comment on the lawsuit, and the US Department of Justice has not responded to requests for comment yet.
Congress passed this legislation overwhelmingly after weeks of debate, due to US lawmakers' concerns about China accessing Americans' data or spying on them through the app.
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